Chandler Gallery is very pleased to present An American Narrative, an exhibition of mixed-media paintings by Berkeley-based artist Renée Bott, on view from February 7th through March 21st, 2026. This exhibition brings together several bodies of work in which Bott contemplates the cumulative and often contradictory history of the United States. Drawing from journals, novels, maps, and historical texts, particularly from the early American period, Bott weaves together fragments of the many voices that have contributed to the endlessly collaborative, and contested, story of America. Her work pays homage not only to well-known historical figures, but also to the animals and anonymous hands whose efforts quietly shaped a national identity.
Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, Renée Bott has always made and worked in art. She worked in fine art print publishing for over 30 years. For the past twenty years, she was a founding partner and Master Printer of Paulson Bott Press, a fine print atelier located in Berkeley, California. Here she worked with luminary artists such as Martin Puryear, Kerry James Marshall, and Tauba Auerbach. Renée specialized in facilitating the creation of complex and colorful intaglio prints within a traditional black-and-white medium. Paulson Bott Press has published over 500 editions, working with many artists. In 2016, the archive of Paulson Bott Press was acquired by the deYoung Museum in San Francisco.
