'Contemporary Art: 1980 to Present' opens March 4 at Sheldon Gallery
Released on 02/15/2006, at 2:00 AM
Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
WHEN: Saturday, Mar. 4, 2006, through Aug. 27, 2006
WHERE: Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, 12th & R Streets
The Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will open "Contemporary Art: 1980 to the Present" March 4. The exhibition, the third in a series from the permanent collection, will run through Aug. 27.
The history of art in the 20th century was characterized by modernism, which consists of a series of artistic movements, such as Cubism, Fauvism, Constructivism, Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism. Since the 1980s, however, the art world no longer can be described according to movements or large-scale trends in form or content. This radical pluralism creates space for contemporary artists to explore form and content with great freedom: nothing is off-limits; all styles, subjects and historical movements are open to reevaluation and appropriation for the particular need of the arts.
"Contemporary Art: 1980 to the Present" offers a glimpse of this pluralism and how it is represented in the Sheldon's permanent collection. Traditional subjects such as landscapes, portraits and still lifes are represented, as are images from popular culture, including comics.
Visitors may preview the exhibition from 5 to 8 p.m. on March 3, during First Friday's Martini Madness, a public reception with appetizers and a cash bar. Other public events associated with the exhibition are a lecture and presentation at 5:30 p.m. March 7 with Bill Griffin, owner of Griffin Contemporary Art in Santa Monica, Calif., and a Gallery Talk at 2 p.m. May 14 by Sheldon curator Daniel Siedell. Admission is free to the exhibition and events.
The Philip Johnson-designed gallery houses a permanent collection of more than 12,000 objects focusing on American art. The museum, at 12th and R streets on the UNL City Campus, is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For information or to arrange a tour, call (402) 472-2461. Additional information is available on the Sheldon Web site, www.sheldon.unl.edu.
Generous support for this exhibition has been provided by Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather LLP, Wells Fargo Bank NA and the Nebraska Art Association.
CONTACT: Tom White, Public Relations Manager, Sheldon Art Gallery, (402) 472-1197