Naples Art hasheld a fascinating collection of works from both local and nationally regarded artists that has getting its day in the figurative sun in the first floor galleries and halls.
But it will have to move out early— after Friday, Sept. 17, in fact— to make way for another fascinating collection of works from an art star: Keith Haring. Those who don't know the name willknow the art; Haring is famous for his thick-brush outline figures: adults, animals, symbols, all set in motion by broken series of lines around them. Its kinetic feel is reinforced by Haring's bright colors.
"It's a coup for us. He's so special and the show is called 'Radiant Vision.' It's of course derivative ofthat work of his, 'Radiant Baby," explained Frank Verpoorten, executive director and chief curator of Naples Art. (For details, see the information box with this story.)
The work Verpoorten referred to was Haring's signature icon,a crawling toddler, rays emanating from his outlined tangerinefigure as if there are magic powersescaping his bodily form. Haring often used it as his tag in his earlier years, when his art wasgraffiti on New York's subways.
Later, Haring's fame moved from the city to worldwide, showing up on murals around in Australia, Brazil, Germany, France and Belgium. He gained an entirely new audience withT-shirts, posters and Swatches, the brightly colored pop watches (and some of which sell for up to $17,500on eBay); those proceeds go to the Keith Haring Foundation, which supportsnonprofits for children, and th involved in education, prevention and care related to AIDS.
There's a lot of art, andmore coming
The exhibition will contain close to 150 of Haring's works, which cover a range of social justice themes as well as simply creating animated whimsy. The main gallery, the Watson, will need some major partition work done to accommodate it, he said.
"We're going to have to build a lot of movable walls in here," he said. "I've seen the show in New York. It's really beautiful."Naples' three month exhibition of itis the last before"Radiant Visions"goes tothree venues in Italy, followed by several in Asia.
Between the two shows, it's a one-two punch of art magnets, and Verpoorten rues the fact more people may not see the first. It is still up onFriday, Sept. 17, however, and promises revelationsto those who visit.
Since he joined Naples Art in January, Verpoorten has been getting to know its own collection. The institution isn't a collecting one per se, but it has accepted donations that include some top-level names, Purvis Young and Richard Segalman among them.
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Both are in this show. Segalman, who spent a good deal of time in Naples, is represented by the oil painting "Alice, Delores and Eileen." Its generous strokes depict atrio of women in flowing dress, relishing acasual conversation asthe Gulf of Mexico's blue foam flirts with their bare feet.
Purvis Young's untitled work, on wood and compressed cardboard with glue, metalenamel and acrylic, suggest the ancestors, the family looking down on a youth in apparent addictive distress. There are layers of meaning available, one of the characteristics of Young's work.
"Going Fishing," by one of Naples' earlier artists to achieve national prominence, William Henry, exhibits asubduedcoloration and smoothsurfaces that have a calming presence.
The collection reaches beyond the U.S.
There are contemporary international works such as Bulgarian artist Iva Gueorguieva's untitledstew of color splashes and lines. It was a gift of Suzanne von Liebig, benefactor of the building this exhibition is in.Robert Vickrey works and a lithograph series from James Rosenquist are also in the exhibition.
A number ofdelights come from local artists with regional acclaim. Muffy Clark Gill's batik "Everglades Encounter" washes out the verdant surroundings and turns its sunlight white to impart a wintry chill toSouthwest Florida's hottest wetlands.Melissa Barry's photorealist "Shells" begs for a conversation with the artist on the effort invested inher exquisitely detailed trove of beach treasures.
The scope and depth of this collection surprised him, Verpoorten said.
"I didn't have any idea there was anything I had assumed that surely this organization, because it's 67 years old, throughout that trajectory some artists would donate some works. But I didn't know it would be between 250 and 300," he said
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"It's impressive. I became interested in how this collection came about. How were these acquired? How does this all jell together?"
He and the staff have been trying to find the stories behind the donors as well as add more standard narrative, such as size, to them. But in the meantime, he relished the idea of opening the center for the season with some of its own works. It's a diverse group, he concedes, but they share a common characteristic.
"I called this show 'Intersections' because the way these paintings ended up in our collection is that the careers or the lives of donors or artists intersected with this organization," he said. Further, they're all impressive works, he said. It's a show he is not happy about taking down.
"The quality of the paintings in this exhibition I can stand behind. They're really good paintings."
Harriet Howard Heithaus covers arts and entertainment for the Naples Daily News/naplesnews.com. Reach her at 239-213-6091.
'Intersections'
Where: Naples Art,585 Park St., Naples
When: 10 a.m.-4 pm. through Friday, Sept. 17
Admission: Free
Information: naplesart.org or 239-262-6517
'Keith Haring: Radiant Vision'
What: More than 100 works by Keith Haring,includinglithographs, silkscreens, drawings on paper, and posters, from the collection of Gary Casinelli, who sponsors the exhibition in part with Nick Preston.
This exhibition follows Haring's work from its early whimsy to its themes addressing social justice, LGBTQ rights, AIDS, drug use and apartheid. Amidthe serious topics, there is still, asChristine Rossi, director of exhibitions at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York,told Forbes magazine,"this joy of living that you feel in his work— a value for living and for other people and for dignity, so, the pieces can be difficult, but they're also uplifting in that way."
When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays Nov. 1 through Feb. 6
Admission: TBA
Information: naplesart.org or 239-262-6517
