Transitions: Works by Françoise Gilot will focus on the evolution of Gilot’s approach to composition and color beginning with her seminal Labyrinth Series and including key works into the 21st century. Rich abstraction in a bold, powerful palette, a mainstay of her work, transitions to references to the figure, botanicals and still life. Iconic images such as orbs, birds, water and earth elements are investigated in tandem with color juxtapositions that are built up from layers and layers of pigment.
The exhibition runs from June 1 through Sept. 23 in the Main Gallery, with an opening reception June 3, from 1 to 3 p.m. An illustrated lecture by curator Mel Yoakum, Ph.D. will be presented Sept. 20 at 4 p.m. A special presentation of “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” with special guest, Peter Salk, President, Jonas Salk Legacy Foundation, is scheduled Sept. 21.
Francoise Gilot “Under the Foliage” 1991 Monotype 44 x 31” Collection of Jane and Eric Herzog ©Francoise Gilot
The exhibition is curated by Mel Yoakum, Ph.D., author of Stone Echoes: Original Prints by Françoise Gilot and a scholar of her work. He began his association with Gilot in 1987, organizing exhibitions and cataloguing her extensive oeuvre of oil paintings and works on paper. He has authored numerous essays and catalogues for the artist and he also serves on the Board of Directors of the Berman Museum of Art.
The collaboration between Gilot and the Berman Museum of Art is a rich one, established some 20 years ago. Transitions represents a fourth exhibition of her work at the Museum, where benefactors Muriel and Philip Berman, donated several of her works to the permanent collection, as they formed a friendship with Gilot, and collected her works and commissioned several original lithograph editions. The Berman presented Stone Echoes: Original Lithographs by Françoise Gilot in 1995, and published the first catalogue devoted to her original prints, authored by Dr. Yoakum. The Berman hosted a second major exhibition in 1997: For Ever and Day: Floating Paintings and Monotypes by François Gilot, and in 2001, presented the exhibition Françoise Gilot 1940 -1950, when she was the recipient of an honorary degree from Ursinus.
The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College, known for its diverse collection and innovative educational programming, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and noon to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Museum is closed Mondays and college holidays. The Museum is accessible to the physically disabled, and admission is free. The Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums. Exhibitions and programs are funded in part by a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and annual support from Epps Advertising.
The Berman Museum of Art will also be the site of the National
Collage Society 28th Anniversary Juried Exhibition June 9 through
Aug. 12 in the Upper Gallery.