Patricia Treib’s paintings move between observation, memory and art history. Her abstract compositions take their starting point in the tangible world – in an object, an image or an arranged subject that she observes and returns to over an extended period of time. Through repeated paintings and subtle shifts in form and colour, these motifs gradually develop into independent and evocative visual worlds.

The painting Chime was included in Treib’s first exhibition in Scandinavia, at Galerie Nordenhake in Stockholm in 2018. The exhibition took its title from the Italian word grottesco, referring to the extravagant decorative style rediscovered in the cave-like ruins of ancient Roman buildings in the late 15th century. In the ancient frescoes, plant forms, animals and fantastical ornaments were combined in imaginative compositions – a tradition that remains an important reference in Treib’s painting. Her artistic practice is characterised by a balance between discipline and freedom, in which forms drawn from reality are transformed into a lyrical and highly personal abstract visual language.

Behind the seemingly spontaneous and fluid quality of Treib’s paintings lies an extensive working process. Each large-scale painting is preceded by a series of smaller studies on paper, in which Treib experiments with and develops her forms. These function as a kind of preparatory sketches for the final painting, which is executed in a single, continuous flow. In this way, slow repetition and meticulous preparation are brought together with an intuitive and immediate expression.

Treib works with thinned oil paint on primed canvas laid flat, using broad Japanese hake brushes. Her brushstrokes are both precise and free, characterised by a calligraphic lightness. Her palette ranges from earthy, mineral tones reminiscent of ancient frescoes to more luminous hues. Stockholm audiences most recently had the opportunity to experience Treib’s masterful combinations of warm and cool tones in her solo exhibition Simultaneous Armor at Galerie Nordenhake, held from August to September 2026.

Patricia Treib, born in 1979 in Saginaw, Michigan, lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. She holds an MFA from Columbia University and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work has been exhibited extensively at galleries and institutions across Europe and the United States.