Dividing his time between Brooklyn, New York, and San Antonio, Texas, internationally renowned artist Leonardo Drew (American, b. 1961) is best known for his dynamic, abstract sculptures that simultaneously evoke order and chaos. Drew’s methodology is laborious, beginning with raw materials that he meticulously transforms in the studio. Wood, metal, canvas, cotton, rope, and other forms of debris are deftly manipulated in the artist’s hands, often through multilayered processes that mimic erosion and decay. In his monumental, immersive installations, Drew assembles these materials into dense constellations that harness a sense of unbridled energy, creating what the artist refers to as an “explosion.”

Drew’s intricately detailed works on paper also engage a form of alchemy, allowing the artist to explore the possibilities of varied materials, techniques, and compositions on a more intimate scale. Collaborating with master papermakers at Pace Paper in Brooklyn, New York, Drew initially created a series of monoprints using metal and wooden plates. He soon began to experiment with molds, from which he produced highly dimensional reliefs. The cast paper works have evolved in recent years into maquette-like forms, resembling sculptural assemblages or mosaics. Drew has increasingly tested the limits of the papermaking medium, using pigmented paper pulp as well as sand, string, calcium carbonate, and plaster paint chips. The introduction of color into his work was inspired by his travels to Jingdezhen, a center of historical porcelain production in China, which he first visited in 2015.

Featuring approximately twenty works on paper, all produced within the last two decades, Leonardo Drew: Alchemy highlights the material transformations—and accumulations—that are at the heart of the artist’s practice.

Leonardo Drew: Alchemy is organized by the Bruce Museum and curated by Margarita Karasoulas, curator of art, with Jordan Hillman, assistant curator of art.

Leonardo Drew (American, b. 1961)
Number 215TD, 2022
Plaster and paint on paper, 36 x 36 in.
Collection of Natalie and Mike McGuire, Dallas, Texas
© Leonardo Drew, courtesy Talley Dunn Gallery and Galerie Lelong

Leonardo Drew (American, b. 1961)
Number 210T, 2020
Colored string, paint, and wax on paper, 23 x 23 in.
Courtesy of the artist, Talley Dunn Gallery, and Galerie Lelong
© Leonardo Drew

Leonardo Drew (American, b. 1961)
Number 219TD, 2022
Plaster and paint on paper, 36 x 36 in.
Courtesy of the artist, Talley Dunn Gallery, and Galerie Lelong
© Leonardo Drew

Leonardo Drew (American, b. 1961)
Number 311D, 2021
Wood, compressed cotton, and pulped paper on paper, 22 ½ x 22 ½ in.
Courtesy of Private Collection
© Leonardo Drew

Leonardo Drew (American, b. 1961)
Number 222TD, 2022
Colored sand, calcium carbonate, and wood on paper, 36 x 36 in.
Courtesy of the artist, Talley Dunn Gallery, and Galerie Lelong
© Leonardo Drew