American Modernists Exhibition to Close

August 3, 2010
Modernist painting
"Bather Emerging from the Sea" is an oil on canvas painting by Leon Kelly, 1952.

Saturday, Aug. 7, will be the final day to see the University of Wyoming Art Museum exhibition "American Modernists in Wyoming: George McNeil, Ilya Bolotowsky, and Leon Kelly."

"American Modernists" presents the work of three artists, each with a unique approach to abstraction in their work. George McNeil (American, 1908-1995), Ilya Bolotowsky (American/Russian, 1907-1981) and Leon Kelly (American, 1901-1982) worked during the height of American Modernism. All three were professors at the University of Wyoming.

At the onset of World War II, numerous artists immigrated to the United States from Europe and brought with them artistic approaches that supplemented the American Modernist movement. During this time, the late 1930s and early 1940s, the art world shifted from Europe to the United States. Artists were developing new forms of expressionist art, including the first purely American genre of art, Abstract Expressionism.

American artist Harold Garde studied with each of the three professors when he attended UW on the GI Bill in the 1940s. Traces of their influence can be seen in Garde's innovative approach to subject matter and color. This exhibition provides the stylistic background to Garde's extensive career as a painter. "Harold Garde. painting. 50 years.," will remain on view through Saturday, Aug. 21.

For more information, call the UW Art Museum at (307) 766-6622 or visit www.uwyo.edu/artmuseum or blog at www.uwartmuseum.blogspot.com.

"Imagine learning from the masters" is a guiding principle of the UW Art Museum's programs. Located in the Centennial Complex at 2111 Willett Drive in Laramie, the museum is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free.

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