Denver Art Museum adds to its exciting exhibition lineup when George Carlson: Heart of the West opens December 15 in the Hamilton Building’s Dietler Western Art Galleries. The exhibition will feature the work of living artist and former Coloradoan George Carlson, considered one of the finest sculptors of western subject matter working today.
He is widely known for his sensitive interpretation of animals, especially horses, in bronze. His figurative work features a number of subjects including the Tarahumara Indian tribe in Mexico, with whom he lived. Several pastel drawings from his journeys to Mexico will also be displayed.
“We think he is an artist who has stood the test of time,” says Ann Daley, Associate Curator of the Petrie Institute of Western American Art at the Denver Art Museum. “He doesn’t like to be considered a western artist, but we think he is appropriate. We’ve admired his work for a long time, and think he is due an exhibition.”
George Carlson: Heart of the West will feature more than 35 objects from several lenders including the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis, works owned by a private Colorado collector, and the artist’s studio. The exhibition will be on view through April 13, 2008.
In addition, George Carlson’s work is highlighted in the latest issue of Western Passages, published by the Petrie Institute of Western American Art at the Denver Art Museum. “Heart of the West: New Painting and Sculpture of the American West” includes essays on George Carlson, collecting Western American art, the Museum’s Contemporary Realism Group, artist-explorers and the Western landscape, and full color illustrations. This fourth edition of Western Passages is available in the Museum Shop for $22.50.
The Petrie Institute will also present a symposium titled Heart of the West: New Art/New Thinking on January 5, 2008, at the Denver Art Museum. This one-day symposium will explore multiple perspectives on contemporary western American art. Four prominent American art scholars, curators, and museum directors will discuss topics including modernism vs. realism in early 20th century western painting, museum roles in balancing popular art with elitist institutional imperatives, status of contemporary western art today, and post-modernist conceptions of the West. Tickets for the event (which include a box lunch) range from $14-$55. -- www.denverartmuseum.org
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