Current Exhibit

Portraits of the West: The Kenneth M. Freeman Legacy Exhibition
June 26 through October 24, 2010
Preview and reception, June 25, 2010

Nicknamed the “Rembrandt of the Rodeo,” Artist Ken Freeman (1935-2008) enjoyed a long productive career celebrating the history and legends of the American West. This travelling retrospective provides a tribute to an internationally recognized Western artist and illustrator.

A Kiowa poet once remarked that the American West is a place that has to be seen to be believed, and it may have to be believed in order to be seen. Ken Freeman had the talent to draw, paint and sculpt the West as he had seen and experienced it. His unique combination of light and depth of color, together with rich cultural heritage, has left us with a body of work that connects with the soul and spirit of the American West.

A temporary studio replica of Freeman’s own workspace serves as the centerpiece of this exhibition, providing intimate insight to the artist’s creative process. The unfinished Impending Decision IV, the final piece Freeman was painting at the time of his passing, will be on display to clearly illustrate Freeman’s painting technique. Earning scholarships to study at the American Academy of Art, Freeman studied techniques of the European masters. Capturing the rich heritage of the many varied peoples he encountered in photographs, Freeman brought the personalities of these models to life.

“Ken’s old masters’ technique was very time consuming but the outcome is extraordinary,” said Edward Holmes, president of Western Artists of America whose organization presented Freeman with a Lifetime Achievement Award. “It is the only way to achieve the depth of colors and warm layers of content that will pass the test of time. This painting technique will last for hundreds of years.”

Learn more about Ken Freeman and his art at his web site, www.kennethmfreeman.com or watch a video about the exhibit selection process, Portraits of the West, World Premiere.

Working the West: Selections from the Phippen Collection
November 6, 2010 to February 20, 2011
Preview and reception, November 5, 2010

A celebration of the working cowboy as seen through the eyes of renowned Western artists who captured this vanishing way of life on the ranches of the American West.