Clarissa Dalrymple (born 1940/1941) is an independent art curator who lives in

New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

. Dalrymple is credited with having curated early exhibitions of contemporary artists in the United States including

Christopher Wool Christopher Wool (born 1955) is an American artist. Since the 1980s, Wool's art has incorporated issues surrounding post-conceptual ideas. Early life and career Wool was born in Chicago, Illinois to Glorye and Ira Wool, a molecular biologist and ...

Ashley Bickerton Ashley Bickerton (May 26, 1959 – November 30, 2022) was a Barbadian-born American contemporary artist. A mixed-media artist, Bickerton often combined photographic and painterly elements with industrial and found object assemblages. He is assoc ...

Collier Schorr Collier Schorr (born 1963 as Patrice) is an American artist and fashion photographer best known for adolescent portraits that blend photographic realism with elements of fiction and youthful fantasy. Schorr grew up in Queens, New York and studied ...

Haim Steinbach Haim Steinbach (; born 1944 in Rehovot, Mandatory Palestine) is an Israeli-American artist, based in New York City. His work consists of arrangements of everyday objects, presented in “Displays” and shelves of his own making. Life and work Si ...

Nayland Blake Nayland Blake is an American artist whose focus is on interracial attraction, same-sex love, and intolerance of the prejudice toward them. Their mixed-media work has been variously described as disturbing, provocative, elusive, tormented, siniste ...

, Michael Joaquin Grey, Jorge Pardo,

Damien Hirst Damien Steven Hirst (; né Brennan; born 7 June 1965) is an English artist and art collector. He was one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) who dominated the art scene in the UK during the 1990s. He is reportedly the United Kingdom's richest ...

Sarah Lucas Sarah Lucas (born 1962) is an English artist. She is part of the generation of Young British Artists who emerged in 1988. Her works frequently employ visual puns and bawdy humour by incorporating photography, sculpture, collage and found object ...

Gary Hume Gary Stewart Hume (born 9 May 1962) is an English artist. Hume's work is strongly identified with the YBA who came to prominence in the early 1990s. Hume lives and works in London and Accord, New York.

Rachel Whiteread Dame Rachel Whiteread (born 20 April 1963) is an English artist who primarily produces sculptures, which typically take the form of casts. She was the first woman to win the annual Turner Prize in 1993. Whiteread was one of the Young British ...

Neo Rauch Neo Rauch (; born 18 April 1960) is a German artist whose paintings mine the intersection of his personal history with the politics of industrial alienation. His work reflects the influence of socialist realism, and owes a debt to Surrealists ...

, Adam McEwen,

Nate Lowman Nate Lowman (born 1979 in Las Vegas Valley) is an American artist working in the genre of pop art. He grew up in Idyllwild, California, where he graduated from Idyllwild Arts Academy. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from New York Uni ...

and

Ryan Sullivan Ryan Geoffrey Sullivan (born 20 January 1975, in Fitzroy, Victoria) is a former Australian international motorcycle speedway rider who has won the Australian Solo Championship, Australian Under-21 Speedway Championship, and Under-16 champi ...

. The New York Times has described Dalrymple as being known for "an almost psychic ability to pinpoint who and what in art will matter next".Linda Yablonsky
"Eye Spy"
''The New York Times'', August 26, 2007

Early life

She was born Clarissa Ainley to Henry "Sam" Ainley, a merchant seaman, journalist and restaurateur, and Angela Jeans, an actress and model, and they divorced when she was young. They lived in

Walberswick Walberswick is a village and civil parish on the Suffolk coast in England. It is at the mouth of the River Blyth on the south side of the river. The town of Southwold lies to the north of the river and is the nearest town to Walberswick, aroun ...

, Suffolk, England. Her grandfather was the playwright

Ronald Jeans Ronald Jeans (10 May 1887 – 16 May 1973) was a British playwright with a career spanning nearly 50 years. Early life Ronald Jeans was born in Oxton, Merseyside, the younger son of Sir Alexander Grigor Jeans (1849–1924), the founder and ma ...

, "a lesser Noel Coward" in her words.

Early career (1983-1991)

Cable Gallery

In 1983, Clarissa Dalrymple and Nicole Klagsbrun opened Cable Gallery in New York City. Cable Gallery was the site of early solo exhibitions of

, Steve DiBenedetto, Collier Schorr,

, Phillipe Thomas,

, Tyler Turkle and others. In 1986, Dalrymple and Klagsbrun invited artist

Robert Gober Robert Gober (born September 12, 1954) is an American sculptor. His work is often related to domestic and familiar objects such as sinks, doors, and legs. Early life and education Gober was born in Wallingford, Connecticut.Jerry Saltz Jerry Saltz (born February 19, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American art critic. Since 2006, he has been senior art critic and columnist for ''New York magazine, New York'' magazine. Formerly the senior art critic for ''The Village Voice'', ...

as one of the events comprising The New York Canon of Art from the forty-year period between 1968-2008.

Petersburg Gallery

From 1989 to 1991, Dalrymple formed a program of emerging artists for the Petersburg Gallery in New York. During this time, Dalrymple organized solo shows of Nayland Blake, David Dupuis, Michael Joaquin Gray, David Knudsvig, David Nelson, Jorge Pardo,

Rene Ricard Rene Ricard (July 23, 1946 – February 1, 2014) was an American poet, actor, art critic, and painter. Life and career Albert Napoleon Ricard was born in Boston and grew up in Acushnet, Massachusetts, near New Bedford. As a young teenager he ran ...

, and Billy Sullivan. Dalrymple also organized the debut solo exhibition of

Matthew Barney Matthew Barney (born March 25, 1967) is an American contemporary artist and film director who works in the fields of sculpture, film, photography and drawing. His works explore connections among geography, biology, geology and mythology as well ...

, which was scheduled to open at the Petersburg Gallery in 1991. However, two weeks before the show's opening, Petersburg Gallery's owners closed its doors. The exhibition was instead presented at

Barbara Gladstone Barbara Gladstone (née Levitt; May 21, 1935 – June 16, 2024) was an American art dealer and film producer. She was owner of Gladstone Gallery, a contemporary art gallery with locations in New York and Brussels. Background Barbara Levitt was ...

's gallery, who had invited Dalrymple to work with her on projects with younger artists. Barney continues to be represented by Gladstone Gallery.

Young British Artists (YBAs) (1992)

In 1992, Clarissa Dalrymple co-curated the first exhibition of

Young British Artists The Young British Artists, or YBAs—also referred to as Brit artists and Britart—is a loose group of visual artists who first began to exhibit together in London in 1988. Many of the YBA artists graduated from the BA Fine Art course at Golds ...

(YBAs) in the United States with Barbara Gladstone and Richard Flood. The exhibition occurred at Stein Gladstone Gallery and Barbara Gladstone Gallery in New York's SoHo neighborhood, and included artists Lea Andrews,

Keith Coventry Keith Coventry is a British artist and curator.Burgess, John, Coventry, Keith, Hale, Matt, Noble, Paul, Owen, Peter. "City Racing: The Life and Times of an Artist-Run Gallery ardcover. Black Dog Publishing Ltd; illustrated edition (11 Novem ...

Anya Gallaccio Anya Gallaccio (born 1963) is a Scottish artist, who creates site-specific, minimalist installations and often works with organic matter (including chocolate, sugar, flowers and ice). Her use of organic materials results in natural processe ...

Liam Gillick Liam Gillick (born 1964) is a British artist. In the 1990s he was one of the informal Young British Artists group; like many of them, he took a degree in fine art from Goldsmiths' College, in London. He was among the artists included in the ...

, Damien Hirst, Gary Hume,

Abigail Lane Abigail Lane (born 1967) is an English artist who works in photography, wax casting, printing and sound. Lane was one of the exhibitors in the 1988 Damien Hirst-led Freeze exhibition—a mixed show of art which was significant in the development ...

, Sarah Lucas,

Steven Pippin Steven Pippin (born 1960 at Redhill, Surrey) is an English photographer and installation artist. Pippin works with converted or improvised photographic equipment and kinetic sculptures which are often based on physical models and are metaphors fo ...

Marc Quinn Marc Quinn (born 8 January 1964) is a British contemporary visual artist whose work includes sculpture, installation, and painting. Quinn explores "what it is to be human in the world today" through subjects including the body, genetics, ident ...

, Rachel Whiteread, and Marcus Taylor. In 1995, Richard Flood, then chief curator at the

Walker Arts Center The Walker Art Center is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is one of the most-visited modern and contemporary art museums in the U.S.: together with ...

, organized ''Brilliant!, New Work From London'', an expanded version of the show.

Independent curator (1993-present)

Since 1993, Dalrymple has worked as a private advisor and independent curator, curating solo and group exhibitions at museums, alternative non-profit spaces, and commercial galleries. These include:

MoMA PS1 MoMA PS1 is a contemporary art institution at 2201 Jackson Avenue in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens in New York City, United States. In addition to its exhibitions, the institution organizes the Sunday Sessions performance series, th ...

, Queens, NY;Bienenbach, Klaus, Cornelia Butler, and Neville Wakefield. "Greater New York 2010". P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, 2010.

White Columns White Columns is New York City's oldest alternative non-profit art space. White Columns is known as a showcase for up-and-coming artists, and is primarily devoted to emerging artists who are not affiliated with galleries. All work submitted i ...

, New York;

Mary Boone Gallery Mary Boone (born 1952) is an American art dealer and collector. As the owner and director of the Mary Boone Gallery, she played an important role in the New York art market of the 1980s. Her first two artists, Julian Schnabel and David Salle, b ...

, New York; Marc Selwyn Fine Art, Los Angeles; Nicole Klagsbrun, New York; Regen Projects, Los Angeles; Marianne Boesky, New York;

Sadie Coles HQ Sadie Coles HQ is a contemporary art gallery in London, owned and directed by Sadie Coles. The gallery focuses on presenting the work of established and emerging international artists. It was at the forefront of the Young British Artists movemen ...

, London; VeneKlasen/Werner, Berlin; Xavier Hufkens in Brussels; and C24 Gallery in New York.

Personal life

In 1969, she married the writer Dennis Dalrymple. She has three sons. The third, Jesse (born 1971), was with the film director

Jim McBride Jim McBride (born September 16, 1941) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. Legacy Richard Brody, writing for ''The New Yorker'', named McBride as one of the twelve greatest living narrative filmmakers, citing ''David Holzman's D ...

. The older two are Joe Ainley, a lawyer in San Jose, California, and Bo Allingham, a pest-control expert in England. Dalrymple, credited under the name Ainley, features in two of McBride's films: ''My Girlfriend's Wedding'' (1969) and ''Pictures From Life's Other Side'' (1971).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dalrymple, Clarissa 1940s births Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American art curators American women curators Jeans family 21st-century American women