On Saturday, July 1 the Ogunquit Museum of American Art (OMAA) hosted openings for three of their major summer exhibitions.
Museum enthusiasts arrived enthusiastic and early to gaze upon 29 pieces of rarely exhibited pieces of work by Will Barnett – including some of his haunting ‘images of women in dark woods or on the porches of seaside houses who appear to be waiting for loved ones like 19th-century sailors’ wives’. His ‘Woman By The Sea’ appears right at home next to the floor to ceiling glass on the OMAA’s back wall overlooking the Gulf of Maine.
John Marin’s abstract landscapes and loose watercolors depicting the coasts and wilderness of Maine are a perfect fit for the summer months – and an audience of museum visitors likely to share some of his passion for the scenic vistas and natural forces at play in this wild state of ours.
Dozier Bell’s work in the Little Gallery is certain to have you transfixed. Daydreamy, comforting, menacing, technically ambitious, and soulful snippets of sky, clouds, moonlight, roaring surf, birds, and fading sunlight – they all hold the attention and set the mind to work. Bell’s evocative and transcendent series of miniature charcoal drawings are also worthy of notable attention.
Here are a few images from the Partner’s Circle Reception for these exhibitions:
Exhibition Details
What: Will Barnet | Family Homage
Where: Sculpture Gallery, OMAA
When: July 1 – August 29
Will Barnet is a giant in the history of 20th Century American Art. He was widely associated with the most prominent figures in painting spanning several generations and movements, from Stuart Davis and Yasuo Kuniyoshi, to James Rosenquist and Cy Twombly. Entwining figurative and abstract elements with personal and universal themes, Barnet’s practice charts an extraordinary progression through 20th Century American painting. Will Barnet: Family Homage features 29 rarely exhibited paintings drawn from the artist’s most personal body of work, those retained by his family and a foundation created in his name. The exhibition is organized by the Ogunquit Museum of American Art in collaboration with the Barnet Foundation.
Will Barnet: Family Homage is made possible by The Meadowmere Resort.
What: John Marin | On the Verge of Wilderness
Where: Long Gallery, OMAA
When: July 1 – August 29
John Marin arrived in Maine in August, 1914 and opened perhaps the most moving chapter in American painting of the twentieth century. He would spend the next four decades finding inspiration in the tides, weather, horizons and experiences throughout the landscapes of Maine. The exhibition features twenty-five rarely seen paintings made during his time along the coast and captures his sense of reverence for the natural forces at play in what he described as “on the verge of wilderness.”
John Marin: On the Verge of Wilderness is made possible by Dana and Terry Hilt.
What: Dozier Bell | Land, Sea and Sky
Where: Little Gallery, OMAA
When: July 1 – July 29
Dozier Bell: Land, Sea and Sky features an installation of ethereal compositions that transcend time and belie their scale. A remarkable painter living and working in Maine, Dozier Bell composes environments both unsettling and sublime, recalling ambitious landscape traditions of the 19th and early 20th century. Born in Lewiston, Maine, Bell has exhibited extensively, and has been recognized with multiple Pollack-Krasner Foundation grants, a grant from the Adolph and Esther Gottleib Foundation, and a Purchase Prize award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Dozier Bell: Land, Sea and Sky is underwritten by Carole Aaron and Tim Ellis.
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