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Maxwell Hendler is a California artist whose paintings were the first by a contemporary artist to hang in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 1975. His work has been characterized by dramatic shifts in style that have encapsulated larger trends in art.
His early work, dating from the 1960s to the mid-1970s was exemplified by a painstakingly precise approach which bore a strong resemblance to the work being produced by artists associated with the Photorealism movement of the time. However, contrary to Photorealist-type paintings, Hendler's work was produced from direct observation, not by working from photographs. His paintings were usually small, most were less than 12 inches square. In addition, Hendler's meticulous attention to detail meant he created relatively few of these works - approximately five paintings between 1965 and 1975.
By the 1980s, Hendler began producing work that featured painted words and textured grounds. Many of these works synthesize idioms of Pop Art, Minimalism and Conceptual Art practices, often all in one work.
In 1990, Hendler produced the first of his poured and polished polyester resin paintings, which he continues to produce. These works feature monochromatic and highly polished surfaces in a range of sizes and proportions.
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