Clyfford Still Unveiled. A master and pioneer of mid-twentieth-century abstract expressionism, painter Clyfford Still was something of an eccentric in the artist-as-egomaniac stripe. His antisocial behavior led to a situation where 94 percent of his artworks remained together after he died — a staggeringly complete chronicle of his oeuvre that is now owned by the City of Denver. As a planned Clyfford Still Museum won't be completed until 2010, the institution's founding director, Dean Sobel, decided to preview a baker's dozen of Still's creations at the Denver Art Museum. Sobel uses the very small show to lay out most of the artist's career and stylistic development. Still worked his way from regionalism to surrealism, then wound up developing abstract expressionism with one of the greatest abstract paintings imaginable, "1944 N No. 1" — and the rest is art history. Though too small to be considered a blockbuster, this exhibit is nonetheless an extremely important one that shouldn't be missed unless you aren't interested in art at all. Through September 30 at the Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway, 720-865-5000. Reviewed July 26.
Co-Design. Colorado has an impressive art history filled with groundbreaking photos, stunning ceramics and compelling prints and paintings, but some art forms have long been missing in action, and the first one that comes to mind is design. Maybe it's because so few things were manufactured here, but whatever the case, there is little tradition for either industrial or domestic design here. But Paul Hardt, owner of P Design Gallery, a combination furniture and accessories boutique with an attached exhibition space, thinks that's started to change. Noticing all the cutting-edge design going on in the area, and wanting to highlight local talent after a series of shows that were mostly devoted to international designers, Hardt invited keyboard theorist Jaime Kopke of designklub.blogspot.com to curate a group exhibit of locally conceived chairs, tables and other everyday objects. Pieces by DoubleButter and by INV/ALT design, two Denver-based but internationally known firms, dominate. The work of these established outfits is supplemented with pieces by design students who are having their debut in this exhibit. Through August 25 at P Design Gallery, 2590 Walnut Street, 720-259-2516.
The Eclectic Eye. To inaugurate the recently unveiled expansion of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, director Michael De Marsche wanted to show off his new ability to accommodate temporary shows — something that wasn't feasible in the original building. So De Marsche brought in The Eclectic Eye: Pop and Illusion, highlighting the collection of the Frederick R. Weisman Foundation in Los Angeles. The foundation owns important works by many of the biggest names active in vanguard art during the last half century. The pieces were purchased by the late Weisman, a zillionaire collector who started getting into contemporary art in the 1950s and who continued to snap things up until his death in 1994. This show, which began touring in 2005, features pieces by Andy Warhol, Robert Rosenquist, Keith Haring, Claus Oldenburg, Ed Ruscha, Roy Lichtenstein, Duane Hanson, David Hockney, Sigmar Polke and other art world luminaries. Through October 28 at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 30 West Dale Street, Colorado Springs, 1-719-634-5581.
The Emerald Table. Taos-based painter H. Warren Kelly lived for a time in Colorado and since then has maintained his connections to the art scene by being an associate member of the Pirate cooperative. Every summer he gets a show, and this year's is titled The Emerald Table. These recent paintings continue along a path that Kelly has been going down successfully for years, one that is informed by the history of New Mexico. He has a special interest in the Native American and Hispanic cultures, as well as a keen awareness of the unique modernist art traditions of that area, an early center nationally for abstraction. Bringing all of these elements together, Kelly developed his own signature neo-transcendentalist style, in which the local scenery and setting are turned into colorful scribbled abstractions that only hint at the underlying subject matter. Kelly is philosophical not only in his style, but also in his narratives, noting that his art is "flawed," "distorted" and "disconnected," which he analogizes to aspects of his own life. Despite the downer of Kelly's expressed low self-esteem, his paintings in The Emerald Table soar. Through August 19, Pirate Contemporary Art, 3655 Navajo Street, 303-458-6058.
The Illusionist et al. The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art is presenting four shows for its summer season. In the main space are two solos that function as a duet. On one side is The Illusionist, made up of Lani Irwin's figurative paintings that are enigmatic and have a tight and stilted quality; on the other side are the paintings in Inscrutable Intent done by Alan Feltus, which are also figurative. Irwin and Feltus live together in Italy, and their paintings have something of a Scuola Romana flavor. Town and Country is a Mary Ehrin installation on display in the back gallery. Ehrin conjures up a dreamy and luxurious boudoir using found furniture, paint and notions like fringe. Ehrin, best known for her conceptual feather paintings of a few years ago, has in the last couple of years turned to creating environments with a feminine feel. Upstairs, Denver photo-artist David Zimmer is being treated to a ten-year retrospective of his quirky work in Ether. Zimmer is a master of combining antique-looking equipment with high-tech elements, like the glass domes over DVD screens. Through September 1 at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, 1750 13th Street, Boulder, 303-443-2122.
