Ross + Kramer is pleased to present “An Affair to Remember, Paintings and Studies”, a solo exhibition of work by Will Cotton at the gallery’s Miami Beach location. “An Affair to Remember, Paintings and Studies” marks Cotton’s first exhibition with Ross + Kramer and the first exhibition focused around studies by the artist.

The exhibition includes ten oil paint studies and one large scale painting, offering new insights into the artist’s detailed and extensive creative process. Cotton’s meticulously rendered sugary landscapes, inhabited by cowboys and pastel pink unicorns, explore concepts of indulgence and excess while obscuring distinctions between masculinity, femininity, and sexuality. This certain level of ambiguity in Cotton’s contrasting subject matter invites viewers to relate to his paintings in ways that are wholly unique.

Inspired by a residency in Wyoming, Cotton’s series of cowboy paintings examines the fluidity of identity, pairing the classically rough and masculine American cowboy with mystical pink-hued unicorns. Moreover, these works delve into the intricacies of one’s own relationship with self-identity and perception, with the cowboys and unicorns sharing moments of tenderness and care, seen in pieces such as “Reconciliation” (2019/2024) and “Shoeing” (2021), as well as moments of challenge and triumph in works like “Rejection” (2018/2024) and “Ascent” (2018/2024). Will Cotton (b.1965, Melrose, MA) is a figurative painter based in New York. He received his BFA from Copper Union (New York, NY), and is a New York Academy of Art (New York, NY) alumnus. He has held solo exhibitions internationally at Templon Gallery (Paris, FR), Michael Kohn Gallery (Los Angeles, CA), Mary Boone Gallery (New York, NY), and Ronchini Gallery (London, UK), amongst others. Cotton’s work is included in the collections of a number of leading institutions including the Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington, D.C.), the Seattle Art Museum (Seattle, WA), the Columbus Museum of Art (Columbus, OH), and the National Portrait Gallery (Washington, D.C.).

“An Affair to Remember, Paintings and Studies” will open on January 23, 2025, with an opening reception from 6pm to 8pm, and will be on view through March 01, 2025 at Ross + Kramer Miami Beach. The gallery is located at 1910 Alton Road, Miami Beach, FL, and is open Monday-Friday, 11am-5pm, or by appointment. Please contact info@rkgallery.com for more information, images, or to schedule a viewing appointment.