May 6 – December 23, 2023

Oronzo Gasparo’s (Italian-American, 1903-1969) art is fantasy and so was he; his subject matter, often mundane, is transformed into something of myth through vibrant colors and a refined “primitivism.” An Italian immigrant who worked primarily in New York City, Gasparo was a well-known figure in the Greenwich Village scene of the 1920s through 1960s. His drawings and paintings are captivating, playful, and complex in his layering of simple patterns. His life and artwork were greatly influenced by the people, places, and things that surrounded him, as well as the stories he told about himself. Explore these works displayed with narrative details discovered in the artist’s archives to uncover Gasparo’s travels, his lovers and friends, his vendettas, and his triumphs.

Images:    

Ninfa, 1946, oil on canvas, 20-1/8 x 16-3/16 inches, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Millman and the Gasparo Estate, 1974.150.1

Santa Fe New Mexico Landscape, 1963-1964, oil on board, 24-1/8 x 19-1/4 inches, gift of Louis P. Randall, 1979.53.1 

Still Life with Hand, 1955, colored ink on paper, 15-1/4 x 11-1/2 inches, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Millman and the Gasparo Estate, 1973.322 

 

Funded through the generosity of the Patricia R. Guthrie Special Exhibitions Gallery Endowment, the Frederick & Pamela Rentschler Endowment for University Art Museum Collections, Premier Bone and Joint, and the Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research