The show features nine images by artists whose work helped define the art movement, including Robert Bechtle, Charles Bell, John Baeder, and Arne Besser.
Primarily an American art movement, photorealism emerged in the late 1960s in reaction to Abstract Expressionism and as a counterpoint to Pop Art. With a style that prizes accuracy and precision, photorealism bases each work on a photograph. In exquisite detail, photorealist artists frequently recreated everyday scenes – largely Americana with motorcycles, roadside diners and gas stations – and often utilized the qualities of the camera lens: sharp focus and depth of field.
The snapshot aesthetic did not appeal to everyone. Photorealism was criticized for using cameras, projectors or grid systems to achieve exactitude. Yet today, the style is finding renewed interest, with viewers awed by the artists’ ability to create precise paintings that look like photographs.
“Embracing the qualities of the camera is the hallmark of this movement, and with intense concentration and painstaking detail, each photorealist artist developed their own style, independent of one another, yet all strikingly powerful,” said Robbin Zella, Director of the Housatonic Museum of Art.
The exhibition will be on view through December, 2021. An appointment to visit the museum will be necessary, and visitors must be prepared to comply with social distancing rules and wear protective face masks. A video essay about the exhibition is available by visiting the museum’s website, www.HousatonicMuseumorg. To plan a visit, please call 203-332-5052.
Housatonic Museum of Art is located on the Housatonic Community College campus, located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport. It is home to one of the premier college art collections in the country, spanning the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary, and is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility. The museum also hosts changing exhibitions in the Burt Chernow Galleries, and engaging lectures, workshops, films, special events and programs throughout the year, both in person and online. Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org to learn more.
An exhibition of artwork by the founders of the Op Art movement is now on view at the Housatonic Museum of Art. The exhibit, entitled “Masters of Op Art,” features 13 dynamic pieces that are each an optical experience of color and form.
Op Art, or optical art, was a short-lived, yet innovative global offshoot of the Kinetic art movement that dominated the mid-1960s. A form of abstract art, Op Art gives the illusion of movement through the use of precise pattern and color, or conflicting patterns that emerge and overlap. The result: astonishing compositions that make the viewer an active participant by playing with their perceptions.
Responding to advancements of the time, including nuclear energy, aerospace and computer science, Op Art questioned the reality and possibilities of visual perception. The innovative use of optical illusion was quickly commercialized, finding its way into everyday design and advertisements, and becoming synonymous with the 1960s. Today, Op Art is hailed for its visionary spirit and fearless experimentation.
The “Masters of Op Art” exhibition contains works by the world-renowned father of the Op Art movement, Victor Vasarely, as well as founders Josef Albers, Richard Anuszkiewicz, Josef Levi, and Henry Charles Pearson.
“Op artists were fascinated by perception and the effects on the eye. Their repetition, precision, and wild use of color draws viewers in, where they will enjoy the playful geometric figures, and swear the compositions are moving,” said Robbin Zella, Director of the Housatonic Museum of Art.
The exhibition will be on view through October 2021. An appointment to visit the museum will be necessary, and visitors must be prepared to comply with social distancing rules and wear protective face masks. A print-on-demand catalog with an essay by Sarah Churchill, Adjunct Instructor of Art History at Housatonic Community College is available by visiting the museum’s website, www.HousatonicMuseumorg. To plan a visit, please call 203-332-5052.
Housatonic Museum of Art is located on the Housatonic Community College campus, located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport. It is home to one of the premier college art collections in the country, spanning the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary, and is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility. The museum also hosts changing exhibitions in the Burt Chernow Galleries, and engaging lectures, workshops, films, special events and programs throughout the year, both in-person and online. Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org to learn more.
Housatonic Museum of Art is pleased to present its newest exhibition, Of Woman Born. The exhibit features a selection of paintings, photographs and sculpture that explore the ways in which male dominance has manifested itself in familial, social, legal, political, religious and economic systems—patriarchal structures that, over the centuries, have continually been used to dominate, oppress and exploit women.
The exhibit traces the history of women from the Paleolithic Age to present day and explores the various methods, philosophies, policies and practices, as well as legal strategies employed by patriarchal power to exert maximum control over women’s bodies.
“There is nothing revolutionary whatsoever about the control of women’s bodies by men,” said author, poet and feminist, Adrienne Rich. “The woman’s body is the terrain on which patriarchy is erected.”
Artists in this exhibit look at a range of topics including infanticide, abortion, the institution of motherhood, domestic violence, prostitution, pornography, gendercide, plastic surgery and ageism. The exhibition includes works by Nicholas Africano, Lynne Augeri, Suzanne Benton, Aidan Boyle, Antonio Canova, Albrecht Durer, Donna Ferrato, Paul Georges, Sante Graziane, Lori Petchers/Faith Baum, Michael Stone, and Francisco Zuniga.
“Of Woman Born champions the great strides made by women, such as the right to vote and equal access to education, but there is still more work to be done,” said Robbin Zella, Director of the museum. “Women’s rights are human rights and that includes freedom from discrimination, freedom from violence, and freedom from gender inequality.”
Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org to view the exhibit online. The Housatonic Museum of Art is located on the Housatonic Community College campus, 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport, CT. It is home to one of the premier college art collections in the United States. The museum’s collection offers the opportunity to view works that span the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary and is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility. Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org to learn more.
On Thursday, September 2, the Housatonic Museum of Art (HMA) will reopen the Burt Chernow Galleries and the Museum with a grand collective exhibition: Big Art Bash 2021.
The wide-ranging group show will feature FOUR exhibits of work by Jon Schueler, Jongil Ma, Eric Chiang and an exhibition that explores male dominance of women. The public is invited to attend this exciting, FREE opening event from 5:30pm – 7pm, which will include live music by the Joe Mennonna Trio and light refreshments. HMA is located on the Housatonic Community College (HCC) campus, located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport, CT.
The landmark exhibition ‘Lost Man Blues: Jon Schueler – Art and War’, curated by Marissa Roth, will feature twenty-six paintings and selected writings by the esteemed, prolific American abstract expressionist that reflect his war experiences. This exhibition, which takes its title from a piece commemorating the disappearance of a plane belonging to his squadron, will be on view through October 8, 2021.
South Korean sculptor and Brooklyn resident, Jongil Ma will celebrate the completion of his commissioned work, ‘Be There When You Return’, which was funded by Elizabeth Fray, the Werth Family Foundation and HCC. Created during the pandemic, the piece will greet students and visitors alike when they come back to campus. The work is an intricate arrangement of raw and painted cut wood strips fastened with metal rods, nuts and bolts, colored screws, cable zip ties, and stained ropes. A tumult of red, purple, yellow and green colors spiral, bend and intertwine to create a lively and welcoming sculpture that speaks of joy and the spirit of resilience. This piece is part of the museum’s permanent collection and will be on continuous view in the Lafayette Hall atrium.
Taiwanese artist and Westport resident, Erik Chiang, will exhibit a series of works that are visual depictions of quantum mechanics, mathematics and music. Chiang’s large-scale triptych, ‘Are We Born Connected?’, which is also the title of the show, features cellos floating amongst the moon and stars. Chiang’s work launches HCC’s upcoming 2021/22 STEAM: Space Initiative, which will include a guest speaker program to explore the relationship between music and modern physics. The exhibit will be on view in the lobby gallery of the Performing Arts Center in Lafayette Hall through May 18, 2022.
Suzanne Benton of Ridgefield, Sherri Wolfgang of Westport, Faith Baum and Lori Petchers of Fairfield and Aidan Boyle of New Rochelle, NY are featured artists in the exhibit ‘Of Woman Born’ that explores the patriarchal structures that, over the centuries, have been used to oppress, exploit, and dominate women. Also included in the show are Paul Georges, Nicholas Africano, Lynne Augeri, Francisco Zuniga, Antonio Canova, Albrecht Durer, Michael Stone and Donna Ferrato. This exhibit, located on the second floor of the atrium in Lafayette Hall, will remain on view until June 30, 2022.
“The Big Art Bash 2021 will celebrate the first time the museum has opened its doors to the public since the start of the pandemic. We’re thrilled to mark this special occasion with four spectacular exhibits that are sure to engage our collective sense of wonder, compassion, and intellect,” said Robbin Zella, Director of the Housatonic Museum of Art.
Please check https://www.housatonic.edu/ for COVID-19 updates regarding campus accessibility. An appointment to visit the museum may be necessary, and visitors must be prepared to comply with social distancing rules and wear protective face masks. For additional information please call 203-332-5052.
Housatonic Museum of Art is home to one of the premier college art collections in the country, spanning the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary, and is on continuous display throughout the 300,000 square foot facility. The museum also hosts changing exhibitions in the Burt Chernow Galleries, and engaging lectures, workshops, films, special events and programs throughout the year, both in person and online. Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org to learn more.
Want a little help creating a masterpiece? Art Instructor Bobbi Eike Mullen provides informal instruction on painting with watercolors and landscape painting every Sunday in September between 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Remember free-to-use supplies are available during visitor center hours! No registration required.
Join our amazing Community Volunteer Ambassador, Bridget, for the Weir Farm Olympics!
Stop by the pop-up tent to compete in fun games, award a medal to your favorite masterpiece, and learn about Weir Farm’s Olympic gold medalist, Mahonri Young! No registration required.
Join Jackie DeLise, master certified meditation and mindfulness teacher, for an online guided meditation session. No prior experience or equipment necessary as you learn how to cultivate inner calm and clarity.
Registration will close the Tuesday before each session.
Improve your energy and stamina as you move to the music with certified Tai Chi instructor Joe Atkins. Joe will teach gentle movements that improve balance, flexibility, and mobility and reduce stiffness and soreness. Wear comfortable clothes. All levels welcome!
Museum Members call 203-753-0381 ext 117 to register for Tai Chi
Support provided by the Connecticut Community Foundation.
This five-session class series, which includes a visit with exhibiting artist Karla Knight and an off-site excursion, provides a roadmap to central themes and ideas that have influenced artistic practice since the 1960s. Designed to be dynamic, engaging, and thought-provoking, participants will build skills to analyze, interpret, and discuss contemporary art while looking closely at The Aldrich’s current exhibitions. The classes will be held either in-person at The Aldrich or virtually over Zoom. The last class includes an in-person visit to the Brant Foundation in Greenwich, CT. Please check each session to see where it will take place. Participants may sign up for all five classes, or for individual class sessions.
“Getting” Contemporary Art is led by Danielle Ogden, M.A., Ed.M., Museum Specialist, Adult Learning at The Aldrich, and Adjunct Professor at Fairfield University.
October 20 – Off the Wall: A Look at Kinetic Sculpture from MoMA’s Alexander Calder Modern from the StartExhibition to Tim Prentice
This class will take place at The Aldrich and includes a tour of the Sculpture Garden and the outdoor installation of Tim Prentice: After the Mobile.
October 27 – Material Transformation: An Exploration of Artists’ Use of Uncommon Materials from Marcel Duchamp and Robert Rauschenberg to Vik Muniz and Hugo McCloud
This class will take place at The Aldrich and includes a tour of Hugo McCloud: from where i stand.
November 3 – Otherworldly Visions and Visions of Paradise: Rethinking Artists’ Relationships with the Natural World and the Supernatural
This class will take place over Zoom and includes a tour of Adrienne Elise Tarver: The Sun, the Moon, and the Truth and preview of Karla Knight: Navigator.
November 10 – Tour with Exhibiting Artist Karla Knight
Exhibiting artist Karla Knight will join the class for an in-person tour at the Museum of her exhibition Navigator, offering a personal look into her process and influences. This class will take place at The Aldrich and be accompanied by an art-making workshop in The Studio.
November 17 – Field Trip: Brant Foundation
Enjoy an intimate tour and discussion of work by David Salle, an American painter known for his big, gestural, expressionist paintings at the newly re-opened, Brant Foundation in Greenwich, CT.
Join Fiona Garland for a special three part lecture series!
Please visit the Eventbrite page to purchase tickets prior to the first lecture.
Titian was 60 years old when he first met the 21-year-old Prince Philip II, heir to the Hapsburg Empire. Over the course of nearly 30 years, Philip would be Titian’s most important patron, allowing him a remarkable amount of creative freedom to realize his individual genius. From this relationship came some of the most famous works of Titian’s long career and the six mythological paintings, known as poesie, that are the center of the exhibition coming to the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston, Titian: Love, Desire, Death.
In this three-part lecture series, we will examine Titian’s mythological paintings from his early years to these final works, when he was pushing the boundaries of painting itself, delving ever deeper into issues of love, desire and death.
Your ticket will be good for each lecture on October 6, 13, and 20.
A Zoom link will be sent out a week before the first lecture.