Opening Reception Tuesday, February 2, 5:00 – 7:00 PM, Patton-Malott Gallery at Anderson Ranch
Image: Wes Magyar, The Hunt, 2004, Oil on canvas, 48 x 60 in.
Aspen/Snowmass, Colo. (January 21, 2016) — Anderson Ranch Arts Center, a premier art making destination and catalyst for critical dialogue in the contemporary art world, presents a solo exhibition of works by Denver-based artist Wes Magyar entitled “Remnants.” The exhibition features 11 paintings on view at the Patton-Malott Gallery at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colo., February 1 – 29, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. The public is invited to a special opening reception taking place Tuesday, February 2, 5:00 – 7:00 PM.
“Remnants” is Magyar’s first exhibition with Anderson Ranch and will showcase selected paintings from a larger, ongoing body of work started in 2004 that examines the myth of the individual and humankind’s contradictory dependency on one another. Works range in size from 18 x 24 in. to 72 x 60 in., with most paintings as oil on canvas.
“We celebrate and praise the individual, those who can do it alone without help, while at the same time exist in an interdependent society where we are continually aided by many unnoticed hands,” explains Magyar of his subject matter. “I began this series by trying to depict a world where the characters make a transition to a more direct means of survival. Whether this happens by necessity or from a desire for change is unclear, but these new activities are absurd from our perspective.”
As an example, Magyar’s subjects hunt for food, gather wood and start fires with sticks all in the context of a city where, without the aid of those complex systems that make cities an oasis, life would be anything but easy. As the painting series progressed over time, a larger narrative emerged with the repeated characters and visual elements serving to connect the images into to an overarching and evolving story.
That story will be on display at Anderson Ranch Arts Center’s opening reception for “Remnants” on February 2, 5-7 PM. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, please visit andersonranch.org or call 970/923.3181.
About Wes Magyar
Wes Magyar is a Denver-based painter and alumni of the University of Colorado, Boulder. His figurative works have been shown at The Denver Art Museum, Mobil Museum of Art, Arvada Center for the Arts, Dairy Center for the Arts, The Fort Collins Museum of Art, Mizel Ceter for Arts and Culture, and the Chilean National Museum of Fine Arts. His paintings have also appeared in numerous publications including Art in America, Art Papers, Adbusters, The Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News and Westword. Magyar has artwork in the modern and contemporary collection of the Denver Art Museum, the Howard A. and Judy Tullman collection, Children’s Hospital Colorado, City of Aurora Colorado, Delta Dental as well as many private collections in United States, Canada and Europe.
Wes is also an accomplished photographer, providing documentation services for institutions such as the University of Wyoming Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, the Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Arts, Redline, the New York Yankees and many exceptional artists, galleries and collectors. wesmagyar.com
About Anderson Ranch Arts Center
Founded in 1966, Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a premier destination in America for art making and critical dialogue, bringing together aspiring and internationally renowned artists to discuss and further their work in a stimulating environment. Nestled in the Rocky Mountains of Aspen/Snowmass, Colo., the Ranch hosts extensive workshops for aspiring, emerging and established artists in eight disciplines, including Photography & New Media, Ceramics, Painting & Drawing, Furniture Design & Woodworking, Sculpture, Woodturning, Printmaking, and Digital Fabrication. In addition to the Summer Series: Featured Artists & Conversations, the Ranch also hosts engaging events throughout the year including: the Recognition Dinner (Thursday, July 21) honoring the National Artist Award recipient; the Annual Art Auction & Community Picnic (Saturday, August 6), a thirty-six-year-old tradition which features works of local, national and international artists; and the Artists-in-Residence Program, fostering artistic growth for emerging and established visual artists. In 2016 Anderson Ranch celebrates its 50th anniversary, furthering its mission to enrich lives with art, inspiration and community. Learn more at andersonranch.org or 970/923.3181.
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For further information, please contact
Jennifer Slaughter at 970/923.3181 x 301 or jslaughter@andersonranch.org
