For press information, contact: Courtney Kennedy or Nancy Eckhardt, 214.969.9410
Exhibition by Renowned London Artist, Leon Kossoff,
to Open at Pillsbury and Peters Fine Art, DallasLeon Kossoff: Drawn to Painting, Poussin, Rubens, and Other Subjects will open on Friday, June 28, 2002 with a reception from 6-8 p.m. and continues through Saturday, August 24. Works in the exhibition, including approximately 25 recent prints and drawings, have previously been on display in exhibits at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, in early spring, 2000.
The works are based on oil paintings by seventeenth century artists, Peter Paul Rubens and Nicolas Poussin. Richard Kendall, in his essay in the catalogue documenting the earlier L.A. exhibitions, observes, "Though he might resist the idea, we can add that the outcome is also a distinct act of creation…that is uniquely the product neither of Nicolas Poussin nor of Leon Kossoff, but of a kind of retrospective conversation between them. In no sense does the artist subjugate his personality to that of his revered predecessor, any more than one individual can efface himself in an even-handed exchange of views. Rather, he brings to their encounter a set of unique traits and inquisitorial skills, testing out his understanding on the grandest scale and in the most demanding company." The drawings are loose, rapid sketches, similar to figure studies and in situ landscape studies, that become works unto themselves, independent of future endeavors on canvas, due to their multi-layered style and careful consideration of composition that communicate to the viewer Kossoff's reverence and understanding of Poussin and Rubens. Four paintings, in the artist's typical impasto style, accompany the drawings.
Leon Kossoff was born in London in 1926 and studied at St. Martin's School of Art (1949-53) and at the Royal College of Art (1953-6) after serving in the military in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany from 1945-8. He has exhibited widely throughout Europe and the United States, in both group and solo exhibitions. Public collections housing Kossoff's work include the Australian National Gallery, Canberra; the Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, Illinois; The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and the Tate Gallery, London. The artist currently resides in London.
Pillsbury and Peters Fine Art is located at 2913 Fairmount at the corner of Cedar Springs. The Gallery is open Monday through Friday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Saturday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, and by appointment. For further information, contact the Gallery by telephone at 214-969-9410, by facsimile at 214-969-9023, or by e-mail at info@ppfineart.com. For further information on gallery activities and programs, visit the website at www.pillsburypetersfineart.com.
