A master of transformation, Ben Schonzeit has spent decades dissolving the boundaries between painting, photography, and sculpture. Imaginary Friends extends this exploration, embracing the fluid timelines and overlapping ideas that define his practice. Schonzeit's latest work reflects a compounding process - one image bleeding into the next, one material giving way to another.

Louis K. Meisel Gallery is proud to present Ben Schonzeit: Imaginary Friends, the first exhibition for Schonzeit’s latest body of artwork that explores the boundaries and relationships between painting, photography, and sculpture. Recognized for his Photorealist works, Schonzeit has gone through radical transformations over the course of his career. Constantly evolving and moving freely between various media, styles, and genres, Schonzeit is unconstrained by perceived limitations, effortlessly integrating elements of different artistic practices into his process. Imaginary Friends introduces another dimension to his oeuvre, conceptually emerging from earlier bodies of work. Featuring sculptures crafted from found materials alongside works on canvas, these media work in conjunction to create narratives of Schonzeit’s own making. With his sculptures forming the basis for these scenes, Schonzeit experiments with spatial relationships and dramatic compositions. Often made from wood, each sculpture is imbued with a dynamic attitude and a unique personality. Originally created to be a series of individual works, the sculptures take on new life in ensembles, as they seem to engage in private conversations. Schonzeit’s photographic documentation of these ensembles became the impetus for his works on canvas, which feature a cast of sculptural characters performing against spare, surreal landscapes. Born and raised in postwar Brooklyn, Ben Schonzeit received his B.F.A. from the Cooper Union in 1964. Considered one of the original Photorealist painters, he has had over 50 solo exhibitions both in the United States and abroad. His paintings are held in numerous museum collections including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. Ben Schonzeit: Imaginary Friends is on display at the Louis K. Meisel Gallery from April 2 – May 3.