Gallery Sketches: Four New Shows in Denver and Evergreen for the Weekend of May 8-10

New and old horizons, great masters and comic-book art all share the spotlight in Denver galleries this weekend. Here’s a sneak peek of a few noteworthy events on the art scene.

Craig Robb: Oddities, obscura and other vague visual references
Pirate: Contemporary Art
May 8 through 24
Opening Reception: 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 8
303-458-6058

Pirate veteran Craig Robb brings a new body of sculptural works to the gallery that veer from his better-known wood-and-steel constructions. Composed from scrap materials and acrylic sheeting, some with video-art elements, the works signal change for Robb, and a new way of looking at shapes and moving images. Ceramic artist Jason Theel also exhibits new work in the associate space.

Gods & Dandies: New Works by Danyl Cook
Valkarie Gallery
May 6 through 31
Opening reception: 6 to 10 p.m. Friday May 8

Danyl Cook has fun with hipsters and mythic archetypes in Gods and Dandies, which features large acrylic canvasses — some six feet high — splashed with color and a big sense of humor. “Zeus with a handlebar mustache? You bet. The shared virility between these two groups was too intriguing to pass by,” says Cook, who’s also taken a time-out from his usual work to play with new ideas.

Thomas Hart Benton: Legacy
Evergreen Fine Art Gallery 
May 9 through June 6
Opening Reception and Gallery Talk: 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 9
303-679-3610
 
Evergreen Fine Art, entrusted by UMB Bank with a treasture trove of paintings, prints and drawings from celebrated regionalist Thomas Hart Benton, will put the collection on display this weekend — a first for the region. “These pieces all come directly from his family estate, and many of them have never before been offered anywhere,” says gallery owner Barb Hadley. If you’re a fan of Benton’s wavy pastiches of American life and landscape, here’s a chance to get up close and personal with them...outside of a museum.

When I Was A Kid…
Crimson Hilt Tattoo and Gallery 
May 9 through 31
Opening reception: 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, May 9

Remember the joy of immersing yourself in a comic book at a time in life when nothing else mattered but the moment? It was just you and your superhero, off on an adventure in a skillfully drawn and inked fictional world. In anticipation of Denver Comic Con later this month, 1/1 Magazine celebrates the art of the comic book with a group show and an opening party at Crimson Hilt.

Want more? See the Westword art event listings to learn more about current gallery and art museum exhibitions and openings in the metro area. 

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