In the 1960s, the two biggest contemporary art movements, pop art and minimalism, were ideological opposites — well, except in certain works from Andy Warhol’s “Elvis” series. Pop was content-driven, riffing off everyday subject matter, while minimalism was purely about form. So it’s interesting that today’s post-pop and post-minimalism are…
In the 1960s, the oldest of the baby boomers were coming of age, and they collectively launched the counterculture across America. The unofficial capital of this youth movement was San Francisco, where thousands of hippies descended and turned American culture upside down. They embraced pre-industrial styles of dress, grew out…
There’s a very handsome set of three interconnected shows at Space Gallery (765 Santa Fe Drive, 720-904-1088, www.spacegallery.com) that make up what is essentially a single group show, even if each of the artists involved is given solo status. All three work in variations of pure abstraction, where there is…
The term “painter’s painter” is bandied about quite a bit — I use it myself from time to time — and we all know what it means: an artist who may not be appreciated by the public but has earned the respect of other artists, the highest form of flattery…
For decades, Denver artist Roland Bernier has used words written out in printed letters as the principal forms in his paintings, works on paper, sculptures and installations. A workaholic, Bernier has relentlessly found new ways to employ words, such as in collages made from photocopied magazines and comic books, with…
For a slide show of these exhibits, go to slideshow.westword.com. Nationally known San Francisco artist Rex Ray has had a long relationship with Colorado, where he spent part of his youth, and he still has many friends here. I’ve known him since I was in graduate school and have always…
I’ve long felt that Judith Cohn was one of the top ceramic artists in the region. Her specialty has been sculptural installations made up of components based on classic ceramic forms, mostly vessels. That’s why Thicket, at Spark Gallery (900 Santa Fe Drive, 720-889-2200, www.sparkgallery.com) was a surprise. It comprises…
Metropolitan State College of Denver is not just one of the city’s major institutions of higher learning; it’s also the state’s largest art school. The most obvious evidence of this focus is the college’s Center for Visual Art in LoDo. This multi-gallery venue has distinguished itself as one of the…
Since he became mayor, John Hickenlooper has followed an ambitious program aimed at changing — literally, at times — the cultural underpinnings of the city. The latest idea is the Denver Biennial of the Americas, slated for the summer of 2010. And while the staff at the Denver Office of…
Denverites have had a long love-hate relationship with our Western heritage. We either laugh or cry about it, because maybe, just maybe, the Mile High City really is just an overgrown cowtown. All joking aside, however, the result of this syndrome has been a collective low self-esteem — and some…
Like many other people, I’m pretty bummed out about the closure of the Rocky Mountain News. But for me, it’s mainly because Mary Chandler (pictured), the paper’s ace art reporter, is now out of a job. Chandler graduated from the University of Missouri in 1970, and she’s worked in the…
The story is well known in art circles and taught to students in art schools. Fifty to sixty years ago, a group of painters in New York began to develop the first truly American style of art: abstract expressionism. As a result of their efforts, for the first time ever,…
For those of us whose hearts belong to the arts, it was discouraging to see Republican opponents of the economic stimulus package — signed into law by President Barack Obama last week in Denver — use the paltry $50 million increase in the budget for the National Endowment for the…
Dan Jacobs, who’s been the director of the Victoria H. Myhren Gallery at the University of Denver for a couple of years, has really brought the place around in a short time. Before he was hired, there was an ad hoc quality to the gallery. There was no real program,…
Five years ago, Westword added a very special component to Artopia: the MasterMind awards. Recognizing that the local arts scene needed a little fertilizer to really get going, and growing, we created a program that every year honors five cultural visionaries — artists and organizations alike — working to change…
The Carson van Straaten Gallery (760 Santa Fe Drive, 303-573-8585, www.vanstraatengallery.com) is currently showcasing a paean to nature in the form of a strong solo, New Works by Lorey Hobbs, installed in the front spaces, and a handsome duet, Colorado Abstract: Homare Ikeda & Lorelei Schott, in the back. Hobbs,…
For many years, I’ve abided by a belief — and hit readers over the head with it — that our best local artists represent a collective cultural treasure. They continue to create things that are as interesting and accomplished as anything being done anywhere in the country. I know this…
There’s a major changing of the guard in the art world right now in Colorado. The biggest news came this past fall, when Cydney Payton, the powerhouse director of MCA Denver, announced her departure. Then, two Western art curators at the Denver Art Museum — Ann Daley and Peter Hassrick…
For most of the past hundred years, the terms “abstraction” and “contemporary” were more or less synonymous when it came to fine art. In the last twenty years, however, conceptual realism and other non-abstract approaches have come to dominate the field. But despite the constant challenges abstraction has faced, it…
Michael Burnett is an accomplished painter, but unlike most of the city’s artists, he also runs his own exhibition venue, Space Gallery (765 Santa Fe Drive, 720-904-1088, www.spacegallery.org). Not surprisingly, the style of choice for the artists he showcases is the same as the one he uses in his own…
My primary interests when writing reviews lie in contemporary art and, to a lesser extent, historic modern art. But this sensibility means I don’t always get a chance to focus on traditional art from the past, which is much more popular with the general public. As a result, I have…
The art world is driven by trends, and some artists spend their careers following one after another. Others develop their own point of view and carry on with it for decades, completely oblivious to anything else. This latter type is exemplified by longtime Denver painter Sandra Wittow. She has definitely…
