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Now through Sept. 23, Utahns have a unique opportunity to see the traveling exhibition, "Lennart Anderson: A Retrospective," at Southern Utah Museum of Art. As the first major survey of the American painter's work since his death in 2015, this is an experience you won't want to miss.
If you're familiar with Anderson and his work, you've probably already put this event on your calendar. If not, you should know that the New York Times described him as one of the "most prominent and admired painters to translate figurative art into a modern idiom." He was strongly interested in formalism and inspired by the great works of Piero della Francesca, Diego Velazquez, Edgar Degas and others.
Just Google some of his works — such as "Still Life With Corn Popper, Salt Shaker and Buns" or "Street Scene" — and you'll understand why they demand to be seen in person.
About the artist
Anderson was considered a master of tone, color and composition and was highly regarded within the art community. When he wasn't painting, he spent his time teaching at a variety of prestigious schools, including Columbia University, Princeton University, Yale University and Brooklyn College. For his distinguished work, he received the Prix de Rome award, a Guggenheim Fellowship and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Tiffany Foundation, among others.
"When I have spoken to former students about Lennart's pedagogic approach, they describe it as both tender and uncompromising, expecting from his students the same high standards that guided his own practice," said Jessica Kinsey, SUMA executive director.
One of those former students who's been influenced by his legacy is Randall Cabe, the guest curator and former Southern Utah University instructor. Kinsey says that Cabe "was instrumental in bringing Lennart Anderon's work to southern Utah."
What you'll see in the exhibition
The exhibition at SUMA features 56 works of art spanning a period of seven decades and come from both public and private collections, including Anderson's gallery, Leigh Morse Fine Arts. To showcase his lifelong interest in the interplay of tone, color and light, you'll see a variety of genres, such as the human form, still life, portraiture, landscape and urban scenes.
Anderson's daughter, Jeanette Anderson Wallace, spearheaded this traveling exhibition project as a way to share her father's talents with more people.
"It has been particularly meaningful to bring out paintings that have not been seen by the public for many years, and introduce a new generation of painters, curators, and collectors to his work," she said.
Essays by art historians Martica Sawin and Jennifer Samet and painters Susan Jane Walp and Paul Resika will accompany the full-color reproductions of Anderson's paintings at the SUMA exhibition.
See it before it's gone
After the exhibition ends on Sept. 23, it will travel to other venues, including the Bo Bartlett Center at Columbus State University. Admission to SUMA is free and open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., so don't miss your chance to see this in person.
This exhibition is possible through the generous support of Iron County, Center for Figurative Painting, American Macular Degeneration Foundation, Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, Richard Spurzem and Eric Brecher.
For more information, visit SUMA's website at suu.edu/suma.
