Presented by the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Alex Da Corte: The Whale is the first museum exhibition to survey the Venezuelan American interdisciplinary artist’s long relationship with painting. Organized by curator Alison Hearst, this exploration focuses on the past decade of Da Corte’s career and features more than 40 paintings, several drawings, and a video that considers painting as a performative act.
Alex Da Corte, Siren (After E K Charter), 2015; Digital print on poplin, foam, spray paint, anodized metal frames, plexiglass, sequin pins, velvet; 56 × 56 in; © Alex Da Corte; Photo: John Bernardo
Alex Da Corte, ROY G BIV, 2022/2025; Video, color, sound, with wood box with back-projected screen, paint, performance, and powder-coated chairs; Duration: 1 hrs. Alex Da Corte; 29.2025.3
Realizing a reconstructed vision of painting, Da Corte stretches the medium’s traditional boundaries, incorporating Puffy Paintings in stuffed, upholstered neoprene, Shampoo Paintings comprised of drugstore hair products, sculptural Slatwall Paintings, where found objects protrude from the slatted grooves found in everyday commercial displays, and reverse-glass paintings, in which the artist employs a process often used in animated celluloids and sign-making.
Alex Da Corte, The Lightning Strike, 2024; Plexiglas, Flashe paint, sequin pins, foam, velvet, hardware, flock, plastic, epoxy, adhesive, wood, frame; 97 × 75 × 5 in; © Alex Da Corte; Photo: courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery
Alex Da Corte, The Anvil, 2023; Neoprene, EPS foam, upholstery foam, staples, thread, polyester fiber, epoxy clay, MDF, plywood; 119 × 139 in; © Alex Da Corte; Photo: Natalie Piserchio
The ephemeral pop culture sources referenced in Da Corte’s paintings make evident how the things we identify with—or use to define us—evolve over time. Galleries adjacent to the exhibition will present works from the Modern’s collection selected by Da Corte.
Alex Da Corte, The Pied Piper, 2019; Neoprene, EPS foam, upholstery foam, staples, thread, polyester fiber, epoxy clay, MDF, plywood; 120 × 120 × 6 ½ in; © Alex Da Corte; Photo: Karma
Alex Da Corte, Born on the Floor, 2016; Digital print on poplin, foam, spray paint, anodized metal frame, plexiglass, sequin pins, velvet; 56 × 56 × 1.5 in; Private Collector; © Alex Da Corte; Photo: John Bernardo
