Feature Articles


March Issue 2001

William Halsey Gallery in Charleston, SC, Hosts Painting by Graham Nickson

The William Halsey Gallery at the College of Charleston's School of the Arts in Charleston, SC, is hosting an exhibition entitled Graham Nickson: Dual Natures on view through Mar. 22.

Nickson's large-scale paintings and drawings feature bathers in various poses and groupings. The artist places these realistic figures in beach settings where they are shown frozen in time, in the midst of particular gestures, such as arms overhead or outstretched. Each work, in addition to the classic, formal presentation of the figure, features strong horizontal and vertical lines. These lines are emphasized in the paintings through a bold use of color and in the drawings through sharp contrasts of darks and lights. Richard West, Director of the Frye Art Museum in Seattle which initiated Dual Natures, writes in his introduction to the exhibition catalogue, "By acknowledging and absorbing modernism without being overwhelmed by it, Nickson links past and present into a persuasive new paradigm that continues and extends the evolving tradition of figurative painting."

British-born, Nickson's large-scale figurative works have been shown across the United States as well as in Australia, Rome, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. Honors Nickson has received include the "Prix de Rome" and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is currently the Dean of the New York Studio School in New York City. This exhibition was organized by the Frye Art Museum, Seattle, WA with the support of the Robert Lehman Foundation and is toured under the auspices of Pamela Auchincloss Arts Management.

Nickson is a Quattlebaum Artist-in-Residence at the School of the Arts for 2000-2001. The Quattlebaum Artist-in-Residence program was established to bring noted artists to the College for public performances, lectures, exhibitions, master classes and other events.

Nickson will also serve as juror for the annual juried student art exhibition, Young Contemporaries 2001, which will open on Mar. 30 at the gallery. This show offers the greater Charleston community a unique opportunity to view work produced by students from throughout the College.

For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings or contact the Halsey Gallery at 843/953-5680.

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