David von Schlegell was best known as a sculptor of abstract, streamlined forms that revealed his interest in marine and aircraft design. This work, Untitled Grey, is typical of the art he made in his final years by mixing oil paint and polyurethane and then pouring the mixture onto sanded wooden panels. The ambiguous surface suggests three-dimensionality and recession into a tunnel or room, while the uneven edges and floating specks of dust draw our attention to the flatness of the painting.

Label from The Swindle: Art Between Seeing and Believing, May 26–October 28, 2018