The Art of Eugene Martin: A Great Concept
Curated by Barbara Ross
June 5 - December 1, 2012
386 Beach Boulevard
Biloxi, Mississippi
The Art of Eugene Martin: A Great Concept will be open in the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino Gallery / Gallery of African American Art from June 5 – December 1, 2012. Eugene Martin (1938-2005) was born in Washington D.C., but spent the last nine years of his life in Louisiana painting prolifically in his studio. Martin is best known for his imaginative, complex mixed media collages on paper, his often gently humorous drawings, and his paintings that incorporate whimsical allusions to animal, machine and structural imagery. Martin called his works that straddle abstraction and representation "satirical abstracts.” His art defies categorization.
Eugene Martin became a painter who considered artistic integrity his guide, not adhering to any particular school or movement. As an artist, he remained an individualist whose art defies categorization. He spent most of his adult life in Washington, D.C. He has exhibited his work in the United States and Europe. In 1996 he moved to Lafayette, Louisiana, where his wife, Dr. Suzanne Fredericq serves as a member of the faculty in the Department of Biology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In Louisiana he continued to exhibit his work at galleries and museums, including the Acadiana Center for the Arts, the LSU Museum of Art, the New Orleans African American Museum, and the Alexandria Museum of Art. In 2001 Martin simultaneously suffered a brain hemorrhage and a stroke. Upon returning to Lafayette, he underwent extensive physical therapy. Martin resumed creating art in the studio in his home until his death on January 1, 2005.
Funded in part by the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Mission: The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art mission is to promote and preserve the unique legacy of Biloxi potter George E. Ohr and the diverse cultural heritage of the Mississippi Gulf Coast; and to exhibit works which exemplify the independent, innovative, and creative spirit of George Ohr, emancipated craftsman Pleasant Reed, and Ohr-O’Keefe Museum architect Frank Gehry. This mission is served through compelling exhibitions and educational experiences viewed from a fresh perspective relevant to our community, the region, and the nation with a strong focus on ceramic arts.
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