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Icons of modern art come to Pueblo

Warhol

> Modern or contemporary?
> A world-class collection
> Colorado Moderns
> The Warhol Experience
> Guild Hall: An Adventure in the Arts
> What's new in the permanent collections

Modern and Contemporary art has helped shape and transform American culture and identity. Artists like Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollack and Roy Lichtenstein have not only helped mold the art scene in the United States, but have transformed how people view and understand art. This summer, the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center in Pueblo offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a large collection of significant modern art in South Central Colorado.

Modern or contemporary?

In the art world, these terms describe two distinct but overlapping types of art. "Modern art" refers to works produced from the 1860s through 1970s, in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of experimentation. Modern artists experimented with new ways of seeing, and with fresh ides about the nature of materials and functions of art.

"Contemporary art" is a broader term which simply refers to any artistic work produced since World War II.

A world-class collection

From May until August this year, the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center will exhibit the work of some of the best and most interesting Modern and Contemporary artists. Along with internationally known artists like Warhol, Lichtenstein and Pollack, additional exhibits will focus on prominent Colorado artists like Vance Kirkland and Orlin Helgoe.

Colorado Moderns (King Gallery, May 2-Aug. 9)

Colorado has a rich and significant history of modern painting that has received little attention until very recently. This exhibition explores the historical development of modern art in Colorado and the significance of abstract painting, beginning with impressionism and moving through to pure abstraction. Artists include Otto Bach, Charles Bunnell, Mary Chenoweth, Nadine Drummond, Kirkland, Edward Marecak, William Sanderson and Frank Vavra. Paintings are on loan from the Kirkland Museum in Denver.

The Warhol Experience (Hoag Gallery, May 23-Aug. 15)

Warhol transformed contemporary art with his iconic paintings, prints, photographs, installation art and videos. Employing mass-production techniques, Warhol challenged preconceived notions about the nature of art and the boundaries between fine art and popular culture.

Warhol's film and video work is crucial to understanding his work in other media. From 1963 until his death in 1987, he actively explored the moving image, creating epic films, personal portraits, programs for cable television and music videos. These films and video capture the rich and raw texture of the fertile cultural milieu in which he lived and worked. The Warhol Experience exhibit includes one of Warhol's installations and several of his video pieces.

Guild Hall: An Adventure in the Arts (White Gallery, May 30-Aug. 1)

Long Island, with its close proximity to New York City, became a popular tourist destination in the late 19th century and its East End attracted many talented artists over the years. There, the art gallery, theater and meeting place known as Guild Hall developed into a cultural center with a world-class collection of art.

Lichtenstein

In the 1910s, '20s and '30s, many artists visited the area, including Guy Pene du Bois and George Bellows. After World War II, the Surrealists arrived. They were followed by the Abstract Expressionists (Pollack, Lee Krasner and Willem de Kooning), Pop Artists (Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist and Andy Warhol), Photo Realists (Audrey Flack and Chuck Close), the Neo-Expressionist artists of the 1980s and '90s (Eric Fischl, David Salle and Julian Schnabel). Today, many contemporary artists such as Ross Bleckner, Donald Sultan and April Gornik continue to make the East End the country's foremost art colony.

This exhibit includes 73 works from 61 of the world's most prominent Modern and Contemporary artists: some of the most important and influential works of art in our society today.

Drummond

What's new in the permanent collections

In August, a "Recent Acquisitions" exhibit at the center's White Gallery will show off new additions to the permanent collections. Important works have been added to the King Collection of Western Art, and new collections have been developed such as the Gene Kloss Collection, Ruth Gast Historic Santos and Southwest Collection, and Regional Contemporary Collection. This exhibit will be the first time the public has been able to view some of these works at the Arts Center, with highlights including pieces by Fritz Scholder, Orlin Helgoe, Sushi and Tracy Felix, and the Taos Society of Artists.

The Sangre de Cristo Arts Center is located at 210 N. Santa Fe Avenue, just off I-25 (take exit 98B). The galleries and the Buell Children's Museum are open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-4p.m., and are closed on Mondays. Admission is $4 for adults, and $3 for children, seniors, students and military. For more information call 719-295-7200 or visit www.sdc-arts.org.