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ART RECEPTION | WRCA Celebrates Surrealism
March 22 @ 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Swiss Surrealist painter Kurt Seligmann was a world traveler, who spent his final years in Sugar Loaf NY, where visitors to his home and studio included world renowned artists Alexander Calder, Yves Tanguy, Marcel Duchamp, and Max Ernst, among many others. Among Seligmann’s students there, were Robert Motherwell and Orange County’s own Frank Shuback.
“As we approach the end of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Surrealism, we are excited to showcase a selection of Seligmann’s etchings from the Seligmann Estate in Sugar Loaf here at the Wallkill River Center for the Arts (WRCA) in Montgomery NY,” says WRCA executive director Ursula Morgan.
The unique exhibit, titled Between Realms: The Visionary Etchings of Kurt Seligmann – made possible through partnership with The Seligmann Center and Vision Hudson – will also explore the artist’s place in the story of Surrealism. The Jewish Seligmann, along with his wife Arlette, was the first of the European Surrealists to emigrate at the start of WWII. Subsequently, the couple were instrumental in helping to extricate a number of their fellow artists and writers from Occupied France.
“In my position as Chair of the Seligmann Center Art Committee at Vision Hudson Valley, I’m excited to curate and take part in this collaboration with WRCA, which is my former work home of seven years,” remarks Sarah Fortner. “This exhibition was in the talking stages over a year ago and I’m pleased to be able to see it come to fruition,” she continues.
In the adjacent gallery, curators Morgan and Billy Noonan welcome Poughkeepsie born, now Rhinebeck resident contemporary surrealist Mark Hopkins and his exhibition Hopkinesque by Mark Hopkins: Art That Thinks.
“Mark’s work is thrilling and while vastly different from the etchings in the Seligmann exhibit, the two artists share some remarkably similar personal traits. Like his elder predecessor, Hopkins’ journey as an artist has taken him across the globe, from Asia to Europe, where he explored diverse cultures and perspectives, integrating them into his work,” enthuses Billy Noonan WRCA’s chief curator.
Both artists also expanded beyond their usual studio work to paint murals, create illustrations, and work in theater. Hopkins has also worked in film and graphic design.
ART RECEPTION | Saturday, March 22nd, from 3-5 pm
Join us in the galleries for a reception to celebrate Surrealism, the current exhibitions, and to meet the artist and curators. Public invited, admission is FREE, light refreshments will be served.
Exhibits on view through April 27, 2025.
Gallery hours: Friday – Sunday, Noon – 5 pm
