I had no conscious plan when we began the gallery twelve years ago to amass a stellar group of international artists. But, as I look through our collection, I see great works from New York, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Norway, China, England, Chile and Argentina. Through these years, and the gallery's changes, there has been one artist, a local boy made good, who has entranced us all—Charles Becker.

I am a little embarrassed, and I confess, somewhat amused to report that I have been promising Becker this one man show for six years! Our working relationship is such that Charles comes by the gallery every several months when he has completed a group of paintings. We go through each work and discuss its merits and usually have lunch and give the paintings titles and prices. Somewhere in this process my staff often sells them before they can be displayed. If they do find their way to the framer and back to the gallery walls—they are sold shortly thereafter. Understand, neither I nor the artist is complaining, but Charles has long wanted an exhibition catalog to document his development and achievements. I did include a lengthy section on Becker in our tenth anniversary catalog, a show where he was clearly one of the superstars, but this is our first monograph.

This body of work runs the gamut of Charles Becker's styles and strengths. A work like Bountiful reflects the abundance of life as represented by the overflowing of fruit over the metaphoric object of knowledge, an arcane book. The structure of the silver bowl turns into ribbons spiraling upward, suggesting perhaps, the transience of wisdom. Ray of Light illustrates the strength of Becker's famous silver chalice standing before a shaft of light illuminating the vaguely Tuscan wall. Although there are elements of fruit as in a traditional still life, the chalice is the lone player on this particular stage. The Unveiling is the entire company of actors as if the curtain has been pulled back for one more encore exposing the master Becker in his greatest elements: fruit, books, flowers, wood, curtains and that impossible lace. Temptation reminds us that while this is a representation of a champagne flute, a pear, a plum, and grapes upon a wooden surface, that this is in fact, a relationship. The flute stands tall, the shadow of the plum shades the pear and the one grape is removed far from the action. Two Red Apples is such a simple image of love, it needs no words. And as Two Red Apples is love—Sweet Pulp is sex. I believe that Tear Drops may have come about as a reaction by Becker to some of his audience's belief that Becker paintings were beautiful because he painted beautiful things. These three onions, peeling and rotting away, show in powerful terms that Becker paintings are beautiful because he paints beautifully.

This exhibition delves into a side of Becker's work few have seen—the bizarre and silly. Cross Her Heart and Strawberry Zappa may appear like a sweet-tooth flashback but don't let them fool you. Look at the brush strokes, patience and time and you'll see, even in these flights of fancy, the dedication of a truly great painter.

And Charles' dedication was never more impressive than in Enchanted: Ascending Waterhouse. I have personally watched this painting evolve over the last eight years. Enchanted: Ascending Waterhouse is a tour de force of Becker's greatest iconography and an homage to the imagery of the 19th century painter John William Waterhouse, Becker states that without the inspiration of Waterhouse, the enchanted Goddess would not have come to be. Her offering of water, the basis of life, pours down towards a high tech laser-like swirl directing the viewer to the bas relief platter of a ceremonial and bacchanalian world. Objects abound of timeless significance: love, knowledge, music and desire. Standing before this masterpiece, I feel the centuries melt into this moment and the ideals of truth, beauty and goodness as real and as certain as the turning of the earth.

Julie and I hope you will join us as we fulfill our six year promise to Charles Becker—to host this one-artist show. It's been worth the wait.

Rowland Weinstein
San Francisco, 2004

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