Life Cycle II by Scott Fraser |
Fraser Painting Acquired by the Met
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has acquired the painting Life Cycle II by Colorado contemporary realist Scott Fraser [swa mar 00]. Fraser is known for intriguing still-life works rendered with wit and intelligence. Life Cycle II depicts the cycle of life from birth to death using birds as a metaphor. “Everything in the painting was gleaned from nature,” Fraser says. “All the branches, nests, feathers, bones, and eggs were found and saved over an extended period of time with this image in mind.”
California show and Celebration
Plein-air painter Michael Obermeyer on location |
The Desert Plein Air 2001 show held in La Quinta, CA, attracted 53 top landscape painters from across the country earlier this year. Michael Situ won the Best of Show award. John Cosby, Michael Obermeyer, Jim Lamb, and Reif Erickson received Awards of Excellence. The weeklong Southern California celebration of outdoor painting is a fundraiser for the La Quinta Arts Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting the arts through education.
Another 30th Birthday Celebration
Southwest Art magazine isn’t the only one celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Women Artists of the West was also established in 1971 to support female artists. Initially the artists painted and sculpted western themes. Today members paint in a variety of styles and choose diverse subject matter. The organization plans a number of exhibitions throughout the year to honor the milestone. For more information call Margo Petterson at 909.866.6408.
The Way We Were by Arillyn Moran-Lawrence |
Out & About
MB Modern in New York closed its doors in March after five years of representing modern and contemporary artists….The River Gallery opens its doors this month in Green River, UT. The gallery, which is located inside the John Wesley Powell River History Museum, represents artists such as Gary Prazen and Ivan Kelley…. Joseph Paquet is the newest signature member of the Plein Air Painters of America. PAPA guest artists for 2001 include Bill Anton, Tom Browning, Bye Bitney, Gil Dellinger, Gerald Fritzler, Peggi Kroll-Roberts, Connie Morse, Bonnie Posselli, Mian Situ, and Skip Whitcomb.
Margaret Tafoya Dies
Well-known potter Maria Margarita “Margaret” Tafoya, 96, died February 25 at her home in Santa Clara Pueblo, NM. Tafoya’s work is represented in collections throughout the world. Among her many honors and awards are the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts and the Heard Museum’s Master Artist Award.
Museum Gift
The Henry Luce Foundation has announced a gift of $10 million to the American Art Museum—part of the Smithsonian Institution—for a “visible storage project.” The concept is a new trend in which museums set up informal displays of warehoused works, often in a dense presentation as opposed to the spacious galleries where they are usually shown. The gift allows the art institution to exhibit much of the art now stored away in a warehouse, about 5,000 works.
Blockbuster Sale
All eyes are on the May 7 Phillips, de Pury & Luxembourg auction in New York. In an effort to become a major player along with Sotheby’s and Christie’s, Phillips recently purchased a prized collection of 19th-century paintings and drawings from Heinz Berggruen, a prominent European dealer. The purchase consists of five works by Paul Cezanne and two by Vincent van Gogh. The seven works are expected to fetch more than $80 million at this month’s event.
Featured in May 2001