Ross Art Museum to Host Edmund Kuehn Retrospective Feb. 24-April 5
Ohio Wesleyan Venue to Feature 75 Works from Former Columbus Museum of Art Director
‘Color Calligraphy’ will be among the 75 Edmund Kuehn paintings exhibited from Feb. 24 through April 5 at Ohio Wesleyan University’s Richard M. Ross Art Museum. (Image courtesy of Keny Galleries)
DELAWARE, Ohio – The artwork of celebrated central Ohio artist Edmund Kuehn have been described as “visual poetry,” replete with vibrant colors, bold brushstrokes, and evocative images that transcend time and place.
Ohio Wesleyan University’s Richard M. Ross Art Museum will display 75 of Kuehn’s creations as part of the exhibition “Edmund Kuehn: A Retrospective (1937-2011).” The exhibit will be on display between Feb. 24 and April 5 with a free, public reception from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. March 1 at the museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware.
Kuehn, a former director of the Columbus Museum of Art, was born in Columbus in 1916. He graduated from the Columbus Art School in 1938 and remained a prolific painter and vital voice in the art world until his death in 2011.
Of his art, Kuehn has said his search is “to find [in the] building blocks of design and color a cool analytic means to tame a given shape to an abundant flow of emotions and creative intent. … As a painter I am interested in both the seen and the unseen. To express the things of the visible world I use signs in the shape of simple silhouettes or complex forms divided by light or shade. For the expression of things unseen, those that evolve before the inner eye, I invent designs that create an equivalent syntax.”
In addition to his work at the Columbus Museum of Art, Kuehn also taught at both the Columbus Art School (Columbus College of Art & Design) and The Ohio State University and was considered a master of media including oil, acrylic, gouache, collage, and watercolor.
Kuehn’s Ross Art Museum retrospective is being exhibited with assistance from Keny Galleries in German Village, which has represented the artist since 1982.
Of the exhibit, James M. Keny of Keny Galleries states: “On the eve of what would have been Edmund’s 100th birthday, we celebrate the achievements of this bold Columbus painter and curator who brought Picasso’s Guernica to Columbus in 1940 and continues to challenge us through his thought-provoking paintings. Kuehn’s art demonstrates a keen understanding of art history from Italian Early Renaissance pictorial patterning to multiple perspective Cubist sculptural forms of the twentieth century.”
‘Toy Box’ by Edmund Kuehn (Image courtesy of Keny Galleries)
Keny also notes the significance of the OWU venue: “It is particularly appropriate that this recognition take place on the campus of Ohio Wesleyan University, an Ohio institution venerated for its vibrant liberal arts curriculum and particularly for its hands-on program for studio arts and administration. Both Edmund and Justin Kronewetter, the Director of the Richard M. Ross Art Museum, were and have been tireless in their devotion to introducing art to the public in general and their students in particular.”
In conjunction with Kuehn retrospective, the Ross Art Museum also will display pieces from its permanent collection. The OWU exhibition, “Gifted,” will feature paintings, prints, photographs, ceramics, and sculpture. All of the art has been donated, or gifted, to Ohio Wesleyan by Ross Art Museum patrons, friends, and board members.
Artists featured in the “Gifted” exhibit will include Ansel Adams, George Bellows, John Marin, Pablo Picasso, and Edward Weston.
Ohio Wesleyan’s Richard M. Ross Art Museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. when classes are in session. It will be closed from March 8 through March 15 for mid-semester break. The museum is handicap-accessible and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit https://www.owu.edu/about/offices-services/richard-m-ross-art-museum/ for more information.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers 86 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world experience. OWU’s 1,750 students represent 46 U.S. states and territories and 43 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.