BRUNSWICK — A comprehensive exhibition showcasing more than 30 years of work by artist William Wegman will be on view at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art from today through Oct. 21.
“William Wegman: Hello Nature” will feature more than 100 works including photographs, videos, paintings and drawings — all of which were produced in or inspired by the state of Maine.
“Taken together, this body of work attests to Wegman’s rigorous and sustained engagement with the natural world and places the artist squarely within the American landscape tradition,” a Bowdoin College release states.
To mark the opening of this major exhibition, the artist will deliver a keynote talk at 5 p.m. Saturday, followed by a public reception at the museum.
Among the highlights of the exhibition are Wegman’s postcard paintings, canvases that use vintage postcards as their starting points, physically incorporating multiple images into fantastic tableaux. In addition to Wegman’s well-known Weimaraners, “William Wegman: Hello Nature” also features excerpts from the artist’s illustrated nature books, which are compilations of collages, drawings, photographs and prose that evoke both 19th-century transcendentalist literature and the whimsical outdoor recreation guides Wegman first encountered as a child.
Also included are a significant number of the artist’s punning drawings, as well as examples of his rarely exhibited
“stain” paintings. Drawn primarily from the artist’s collection, this immersive exhibition offers a unique perspective on some of Wegman’s aesthetic influence.
Fully accessible, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art is open to the public free of charge.
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