There are dozens of strong painting exhibitions on view in March. In the interest of full disclosure, I not only publish New American Paintings, but I have a gallery in Boston as well. I am very fortunate to have an show of new paintings by Peter Opheim this month. Opheim focused his energies on abstraction for more than two decades, but in 2010 his work took a radical shift. While he begins each work with by creating of a small clay model, his paintings are anything but “still-lifes”; rather, they are extraordinary mediations on the medium of paint and the activity of painting.

On a recent visit to galleries in New York City, I found myself captivated by the work of Donald Moffett at Marianne Boesky Gallery. The first impulse is to read his work as sculpture, but they are, in fact, paintings. For each work, Moffett offers a three dimensional context in which his finely wrought paintings exist. As he has done for years, Moffett pushes the idea of “what” a painting is to the breaking point. In doing so, he continues to open new territory for other artists to explore. View the entire "must-see" list after the jump! - Steven Zevitas, Editor/Publisher

Donald Moffett | Installation View

NEW AMERICAN PAINTINGS ARTISTS ON VIEW

Katherine Taylor (NAP #58, #70)
January 26 – March 10, 2012
Marcia Wood Gallery

Peter Opheim (NAP #18, #98)
March 1 – April 14, 2012
Steven Zevitas Gallery

Peter Opheim | Untitled (153), oil on canvas, 65 x 75 inches

Summer Wheat (NAP #98)
February 3 – March 17, 2012
Samson

Joe Wardwell (NAP #56, #80, #98)
March 3 – April 11, 2012
Lamontagne Gallery

Joe Wardwell | Everything that Stands, oil on canvas, 72 x 120 inches

Tone Bumiller (NAP #5)
March 2012
ZG Gallery

Winter Group Show (Featuring William Betts, NAP #60, #72, #84, #96)
January 13 – March 17, 2012
Peter Miller Gallery

William Betts (NAP #60, #72, #84, #96)
February 18 - March 24, 2012
Holly Johnson Gallery

Molly Zuckerman-Hartung (NAP #95) – PUBLISHER’S PICK
February 3 – March 17, 2012
Corbett vs. Dempsey

Molly Zuckerman – Hartung | Ulcerous gnawing as a reaction to one’s embeddedness, oil, enamel, leather, collage with artists frame on canvas, 18 x 14 inches

Ellen Berman (NAP #12)
February 18 – March 17, 2012
McMurtrey Gallery

Ali Smith (NAP #73, #91)
February 25 – April 7, 2012
Mark Moore Gallery

Ali Smith | Flip Side, oil on canvas, 76 x 120 inches

Carolyn Castano (NAP #97)
February 25 – April 7, 2012
Walter Maciel Gallery

Harumi Abe (NAP #70), Vera Iliatova (NAP #86), Yui Kugimiya
February 11 – March 31, 2012
David Castillo

Sarah McEneaney (NAP #8, #21) – PUBLISHER’S PICK
January 28 – March 10, 2012
Tibor de Nagy Gallery

Configured (Featuring William Cordova, NAP MFA 2003, and Fahamu Pecou, NAP #82)
March 1 – April 14, 2012
Benrimon Contemporary

Rob Matthews (NAP #57)
March 1 – April 21, 2012
Daniel Cooney Fine Art

Michael Scoggins (NAP MFA 2003, #58, #70)
March 1 – April 7, 2012
Freight and Volume

Frohawk Two Feathers (NAP #73) – PUBLISHER’S PICK
March 6 – April 14, 2012
Morgan Lehman Gallery

Frohawk Two Feathers | Your Gods Are Important and Thus Their Defeat, acrylic, ink, coffee, tea on paper, 45 x 60 inches

Disorder (Featuring Iona Rozeal Brown, NAP MFA 2002)
February 23, - March 24, 2012
Kravets Wehby

Chris Cosnowski (NAP MFA 2000, #35)
March 1 – March 31, 2012
Lyons Wier Gallery

Chris Cosnowski | Bubblicious, oil on panel, 37 x 21 inches

Liz Markus (NAP #74)
February 16 – March 17, 2012
Zieher Smith

Liz Markus | I Say a Little Prayer for You, acrylic on unprimed canvas, 54 x 60 inches

James Gobel (NAP #91)
February 11 – March 10, 2012
Steve Turner Contemporary

Sarah Walker (NAP #26, #62) - PUBLISHER’S PICK
February 2 – March 10, 2012
Gregory Lind Gallery

Group Exhibition (Featuring Ron Ehrlich, NAP #14)
January 27 – March 11, 2012
LewAllen Galleries

OTHER NOTEABLE SHOWS

CHICAGO:

Joseph Noderer
March 2012
Linda Warren Projects

William Conger
February 24 – April 10, 2012
Roy Boyd Gallery

Carl Baratta
March 2 - April 28, 2012
Lloyd Dobler Gallery

Andre Butzer
January 27 – March 17, 2012
Rhona Hoffman Gallery

Antonia Gurkovska
February 3 – March 24, 2012
Kavi Gupta

Alex Olson – PUBLISHER’S PICK
March, 2012
Shane Campbell Gallery

Alex Olson | Editor, oil on linen, 51 x 36 inches

CLEVELAND:

Amber Kempthorn
February 24 – March 26, 2012
1point618

Amber Kempthorn | Mr. Noisy (ADK), collage, pastel, ink and graphite on paper, 44 ¾ x  30 inches

DALLAS/HOUSTON:

Joseph Glasco
February 29 – April 14, 2012
Talley Dunn Gallery

Ludwig Schwartz
February 18 – March 24, 2012
Conduit Gallery

Slow Release
March 2 – April 7, 2012
Bryan Miller Gallery

DENVER:

Mindy Bray
March 9 – April 21, 2012
Rule Gallery

KANSAS CITY:

Robert Shimomura
January – March
Byron Cohen Gallery

LOS ANGELES:

Bruno Fazzolari
March 10 – April 7, 2012
Jancar Jones Gallery

“Il Regalo” – PUBLISHER’S PICK
January 29 – March 10, 2012
Overduin and Kite

Ellsworth Kelly – PUBLISHER’S PICK
January 20 – April 7, 2012
Matthew Marks Gallery

Daniel Cummings
March 17 – April 21, 2012
ACME

Daniel Cummings | Session, oil on canvas, 21 x 24 inches

William Leavitt
March 24 – April 28, 2012
Margo Leavin Gallery

William Leavitt | Stealth House, pastel on paper, 24 ¼ x 41 7/8 inches

Sanya Kantarovsky
February 18 – March 24, 2012
Marc Foxx

Delia Brown
February 25 – April 7, 2012
Angles Gallery

Delia Brown | She Stops to Examine the Painting – and the Young Painter – More Closely, oil on linen, 10 x 22 inches

Holly Coulis – PUBLISHER’S PICK
March 3 – April 28, 2012
Cherry and Martin

Holly Coulis | Pink Flowers, Red Vase, oil on linen, 55 x 48 inches

Rosson Crow
February 25 – March 31, 2012
Honor Fraser

Frederick Hammersley – PUBLISHER’S PICK
March 22 – May 12, 2012
LA Louver

Frederick Hammersley | Option open | oil on linen, 10 ½ x 8 ½ inches

MIAMI:

Michael Vaquez
February 17 – March 17, 2012
Fredric Snitzer Gallery

NEW YORK:

Bruce Brosnan
February 15 – March 18, 2012
Feature Inc

Anja Schwoerer
February 23 – April 8, 2012
Nicelle Beauchene Gallery

Sam Moyer – PUBLISHER’S PICK
March 4 – April 22, 2012
Rachel Uffner Gallery

Sam Moyer

Ryan Sullivan - PUBLISHER’S PICK
February 10 – March 17, 2012
Maccarone

Ryan Sullivan

Todd James
March 1 – April 21, 2012
Gering & Lopez Gallery

Eric Fischl- PUBLISHER’S PICK
February 11 – March 17, 2012
Mary Boone Gallery

Eric Fischl | Self Portrait: An Unfinished Work, oil/linen, 84 x 108 inches

Whiting Tennis – PUBLISHER’S PICK
February 17 – March 17, 2012
Derek Eller Gallery

Whiting Tennis | Hybrid, acrylic and collage on canvas, 60 x 44 inches

Amy Wilson
February 10 – March 24, 2012
Bravin Lee Programs

Zak Prekop – PUBLISHER’S PICK
February 18 – March 17, 2012
Harris Lieberman

Jonathan Lasker
February 23 – March 24, 2012
Cheim & Read

Louise Belcourt
February 17 – March 17, 2012
Jeff Bailey Gallery

Harriet Korman
March 1 – April 14, 2012
Lennon, Weinberg, Inc.

Anne Appleby
February 9 – March 10, 2012
Danese

Roy Lichtenstein
March 1 – April 7, 2012
Gagosian Gallery

Magnus Plessen
February 15 – March 15, 2012
Gladstone Gallery

Terry Winters
February 4 – April 14, 2012
Matthew Marks Gallery

Donald Moffett – PUBLISHER’S PICK
February 25 – April 7, 2012
Marianne Boesky Gallery

Norbert Bisky
March 2 – April 7, 2012
Leo Koenig, Inc.

Corinne Washmut
March 1 – April 28, 2012
Friedrich Petzel Gallery

Lauren Luloff
March 1 – March 31, 2012
Horton Gallery

Kay Rosen – PUBLISHER’S PICK
February 3 – March 10, 2012
Sikkema Jenkins & Co

Kay Rosen | Kiss on the Cheek, latex paint on wall

Ellen Berkenbilt
March 2012
Anton Kern Gallery

PHILADELPHIA/WASHINGTON D.C.:

Nathan Pankratz
February 28 – March 31, 2012
Bridgette  Mayer Gallery

Ori Hofshi
March 2 – April 13, 2012
Locks Gallery

Mia Rosenthal
March 3 – April 14, 2012
Gallery Joe

Dawn Black
February 25 – March 24, 2012
Curator’s Office

Ian Whitmore
February 4 – March 10, 2012
G Fine Art

SAN FRANCISCO:

Siddarth Parasnis (NAP #91)
March 1 – March 31, 2012
Dolby Chadwick Gallery

Deborah Oropallo
February 28 – April 21, 2012
Stephen Wirtz Gallery

Deborah Oropallo | What have you done?, acrylic on canvas, 49 x 64 inches

Patsy Krebs
February 23 – April 7, 2012
Haines Gallery

Zina Al-Shukri
February 21 – March 24, 2012
Patricia Sweetow Gallery

Zina Al-Shukri | Would Rather Study Than Eat, gouache and charcoal on paper, 30 x 22.75 inches each

Cleon Peterson
March 10 – April 7, 2012
Guerrero Gallery

Richard Tuttle – PUBLISHER’S PICK
February 2 – March 9, 2012
Anthony Meier Fine Arts

Hayal Pozanti
February 10 – March 17, 2012
Silverman Gallery

SEATTLE/PORTLAND:

Karin Davie
February 2 – March 17, 2012
James Harris Gallery

Ben Waterman
February 23 – March 31, 2012
Greg Kucera Gallery, Inc.