Gary T. Erbe, "Double Image,” oil on canvas, 34 by 38 inches.
:The Salmagundi Club is hosting a major traveling exhibition organized by the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio. "Gary T. Erbe: 40-Year Retrospective," featuring more than 60 paintings from public and private collections throughout America, opens July 13 and runs through August 7 in the club's main gallery. An artist's reception will take place Thursday, July 16, from 6 to 9 pm.
The fact that Erbe is a self-taught artist seems almost unfathomable given the highly technical nature of his work. Early in his career, Erbe discovered trompe l'oeil painting and its masters, Harnett, Peto and Haberle. Eventually, Erbe conceived a way of creating more contemporary paintings by freeing objects from their natural surroundings via the illusion of levitation and through the juxtaposition of objects that in reality had no relationship. By circumventing the so-called "rules of trompe l'oeil" in favor of originality, inventiveness and creativity, the artist creates thought-provoking paintings with content.
Each painting is a virtual clinic on technical mastery, and yet Erbe's highly complex paintings engage the viewer on many different levels. Erbe's strength is his great diversity of ideas. His subject matter has no boundaries, being universal and timeless. Realism is to Erbe but a language that he has chosen to express underlining concepts, which will forever make his work relevant and singularly important.
Erbe has had many solo exhibitions in museums throughout America and has participated in invitational exhibitions throughout the world. He has garnered many awards for his work, including an unprecedented five Gold Medals at The Allied Artists of America, Inc. In 2003, The Butler Institute of American Art presented him with the Medal for Lifetime Achievement in American Art; and, in 2007, the Salmagundi Club awarded him its Medal of Honor.
The Salmagundi Club is at 47 Fifth Avenue. For information,
www.salmagundi.org
or 212-255-7740.
