A Solo Exhibition by R. Douglass Rice: Faces, Figures and Forms – 1987 to 2026

A Solo Exhibition by R. Douglass Rice: Faces, Figures and Forms – 1987 to 2026
May 1 – May 31, 2026
Opening Reception: May 1 | 5:00 – 9:00 PM

TAG | The Art Gallery, SoWa Art & Design District, Boston

TAG | The Art Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition by R. Douglass Rice, a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans more than four decades of exploration across painting, collage, and sculpture. On view from May 1 through May 31, 2026, the exhibition brings together a selection of works that trace an ongoing investigation into form, presence, and the expressive potential of line and structure.

Throughout his practice, Rice has moved fluidly between figure, face, and abstraction, challenging the boundaries between representation and suggestion. His work is grounded in a central inquiry: how a line can become a body, how a plane can hold the weight of breath or bone. Rather than fixed imagery, his compositions operate in a state of tension, between solidity and fragility, intimacy and distance, structure and dissolution.

Working across media, Rice approaches form as something to be constructed, deconstructed, and reimagined. He draws not only on paper, but in space—cutting, joining, layering, and balancing elements until they arrive at a quiet equilibrium. His surfaces often carry a sense of vulnerability, while maintaining a structural clarity that anchors the work. Landscapes, seascapes, nudes, and abstracted structures emerge not as distinct categories, but as variations on a shared language of form and movement.

This exhibition gathers works spanning from 1987 to 2026, offering a rare opportunity to experience the evolution of Rice’s visual language over time. While materials, scale, and approach have shifted, a consistent thread runs throughout: a commitment to the lived presence of the human figure, sometimes clearly articulated, at other times only sensed as a subtle echo within the composition.

Rice’s artistic development is informed by a diverse and rigorous background. He first studied sculpture at Phillips Exeter Academy under Richard Lyman, and later at Stanford University with Richard Randall, where he earned a degree in Human Biology in 1974. He continued his studies in painting at the Mendocino Art Center, San Francisco State University, and the School of Visual Arts in New York.

After relocating to New York City in 1983, Rice established a long-standing studio in Tribeca while raising his family in SoHo. During this period, he exhibited widely, including two exhibitions at the National Arts Club, where he later became an exhibiting artist member and continues to serve on the Round Table Committee. His commitment to the arts extends beyond his own practice—he served for a decade on the board of the Bronx Museum of the Arts, including as Chair from 2009 to 2013, and is currently Chair Emeritus.

Rice is an elected artist of several respected institutions, including the Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts, the Mystic Museum of Art, and the Artist League of Rhode Island. He is also a member of the New England Sculptors Association and remains actively engaged in the broader arts community.

Since relocating full-time to Stonington, Connecticut in 2016, Rice has dedicated himself entirely to his studio practice, continuing to exhibit in galleries, museums, and outdoor spaces throughout the region.

“I have moved between figure, face, and abstract form, testing how a line can become a body and how a plane can stand in for breath or bone.” — R. Douglass Rice

This exhibition offers a contemplative and deeply human exploration of form one that invites viewers to slow down, look closely, and experience the subtle interplay between presence and absence, structure and emotion.