Billy Hassell Exhibit Continues at MGMoA

Billy Hassell Exhibit Continues at Mabee-Gerrer Museum

The exhibition Memento: The Art of Billy Hassell, continues at the Mabee Gerrer Museum of Art through February 6, 2011.

Billy Hassell reinvents the American landscape with his colorful interpretations of the Southwest. Recognized for his bold use of shape and imaginative renditions of plants and animals, this Texas native has made a career of painting the flora and fauna indigenous to this region of the country. Panoramic landscapes and iconic, patterning form of painting characterize his work. Oils on canvas, watercolors and a new suite of small format color etchings created at Austin's Flatbed Press are current examples of his work.

“Hassell's love of nature is evident in every work he creates. The bold scale of his primary subject, birds in nature, is superimposed on a stylized landscape. His vibrant use of color continues to be a recognized characteristic of Hassell's work,” said Dane Pollei, Director of the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art.

Billy has been exhibiting in Texas and throughout the country since 1983.  This exhibit focuses on how his works are influenced by works of art around him.  The gallery will be filled with his works and some of the many items that influenced his paintings.  He even created a new painting for this exhibit based on a beadwork piece in the MGMoA collection.

The Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art is located on the campus of St. Gregory’s University, 1900 W. MacArthur St. in Shawnee.  The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays.  Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors age 65 or older, $3 for students and children ages 6 to 17, and free for children age 5 and younger.

This exhibition is funded in part by the Inasmuch Foundation, Oklahoma Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Nerwin and Martin Fine Art Products and Services, Allied Arts, and the RBC Agency.  For accommodations on the basis of disability or more information on this exhibit, call the museum at (405) 878-5300.

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