Ted Stamm: Ready showcases the multidisciplinary work of minimalist New York based artist Ted Stamm (1944–1984). The overview exhibition features Stamm’s large-scale Wooster and Zephyr paintings, works on paper, and photographic documentation from his Dodger and Designator series, as well as performative actions.

Stamm’s work often began with chance encounters in the urban landscape: The Wooster form originated from the artist’s discovery of an unusual shape on a sidewalk near his SoHo loft on 101 Wooster Street; others are inspired by eccentric shapes of high-tech designs, such as the supersonic Concorde airplane with its drooping nose or the long-distance Zephyr passenger train.

In addition to his painterly practice, the exhibition highlights Stamm’s unique position between formalist minimalism and conceptual action. From 1967, when he graduated from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, until he died at the young age of 39, Stamm demonstrated his desire to extend art beyond traditional settings. The city became his playground. His Tag works, such as the white and orange labels for his Designator series, were applied to automobile license plates and bumpers throughout SoHo. He created and participated in site-specific performances such as bicycle rides over the Brooklyn Bridge or beach walks on Long Island. Each intervention was meticulously documented and photographed.

Thus, the exhibition, in collaboration with the Ted Stamm estate, offers an opportunity to experience the full range of Stamm’s conceptual and material innovations, emphasizing his significant contribution to developing post-minimalist art practices.

Header image: Ted Stamm, Bicycle Ride, 1971, site-specific performance, Brooklyn Bridge, New York. Photo: Ted Stamm Archive