“Beyond Realism: The Works of Kent Bellows 1970-2005″
From September 25, 2010 through January 16, 2011
Joslyn Art Museum
2200 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68102
The Kent Bellows Studio & Center for Visual Arts is proud to announce an exciting collaboration with Joslyn Art Museum on the first major exhibition of works by Kent Bellows. The images above offer a small preview.
Exhibition Overview by exhibition guest curator Molly S. Hutton, Ph.D.
When Omaha artist Kent Bellows passed away prematurely in 2005, he was at the height of his technical skills, producing delicately rendered pencil, graphite, and charcoal drawings and meticulously detailed paintings, most often of friends and family, that masterfully capture the “reality” of the observed world. Bellows’ work had earned him prestigious New York gallery representation, inclusion in museum and private collections across the country, and a permanent place within the tradition of realist endeavor. Nevertheless, the retrospective Beyond Realism: The Works of Kent Bellows 1970-2005 at Joslyn Art Museum is the first full-scale presentation anywhere of Bellows’ art. The exhibition features over 70 paintings, drawings, and prints — painstakingly crafted portraits and hyper-realistic paintings — all with visual surprises and psychological undercurrents that belie their status as mere imitations of actual things. Beyond Realism sheds light on a complicated and provocative artist whose sensitive intellect and creative facility worked to produce images of great beauty, emotional depth, and humanity.
Exhibition Events & Programs
Many classes and events have been developed by Joslyn Art Museum in collaboration with The Kent Bellows Studio to enhance the exhibition experience:
Thursday, November 18, 2010 @ 6 pm — Drawing Reality
A gallery discussion with artist Paul Otero, a friend and peer of the late Kent Bellows.
Joslyn Members and Joslyn Art Students are free.
General public: free with regular Museum admission.
Thursday, December 2, 2010 @ 6:30 pm — Public Lecture
Molly S. Hutton, Ph.D., guest curator of the Kent Bellows exhibition at Joslyn Art Museum, will present a public lecture on the artist and his work.
Joslyn Members are free.
General public: free with regular Museum admission.
Thursday, January 13, 2011 @ 6:30 pm — Realism. Real Life. Reflections.
A closing celebration! Contributors to the exhibition (collectors, peers, family) will participate in a public, moderated gallery discussion, followed by libations and live music. Guests will have the opportunity to record their own reflections about the artist and enjoy a last look at the show before it closes Sunday, January 16.
Joslyn Members are free.
General public: free with regular Museum admission.
Donations accepted in support of The Kent Bellows Studio and Joslyn Art Museum.
October through December, Joslyn art classes inspired by the exhibition will be offered, including Life Drawing, a series of two-week classes that includes visits to the exhibition at Joslyn and The Kent Bellows Studio & Center for Visual Arts.
Life Drawing series:
October 7, 14 — Anatomy & Proportion
October 28, November 4 — Value & Mass
November 11, 18 — Fabrics & Texture
December 2, 9 — The Figure in Space
More Courses Inspired by the Exhibition
Figure Painting: Theatric Compositions (Thurs., Oct. 14 through Nov. 18)
Painting Flesh (Sat., Oct. 30 through Nov. 20)
For more information about “Beyond Realism”, the exhibition events and classes, or museum hours, consult Joslyn Art Museum’s website.
(Photographic images of work courtesy of Pat Drickey)
