Visual
and Literary Works of Norman Rubington
Chester, Pa. – The Widener
University Art Gallery will host From the Studio: The World of Norman
Rubington, an exhibition of the visual and literary works of the expatriate
artist and author from August 23 through October 19.
Rubington (1921-1991) was born in
New Haven, Conn. and enrolled in the Yale School of Fine Arts in 1939.
Rubington left for France in 1946 to study at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. In
1948, he had his first one-man show in Paris, followed by one-man shows in New
York, Boston and San Francisco. His work earned him the Prix de Rome, a grant
from the Tiffany Foundation, and a Guggenheim Fellowship.
In later years, Rubington devoted time
to book illustrations and experimental films. Writing under the pseudonym Akbar
del Piombo, and using collages of 19th-century engravings for the
illustrations, he produced a series of satirical works on socially and
politically relevant subjects. In 1965, he illustrated “The Olympia Reader” for
Grove Press, working with literary greats such as William Burroughs.
Dr. Janine Utell, associate
professor of English at Widener and curator of the exhibition, said the
exhibition will offer a unique perspective on Rubington, who was part of the
artistic and literary circle in post-World War II Paris that included Maurice
Girodias, Henry Miller and Samuel Beckett.
“Our exhibit at Widener is going to
take a different approach by focusing on the conversation between Rubington’s
literary output, his painting and his multimedia productions, all within a
post-war, American-in-Paris cultural context,” Utell said.
Selected paintings in the exhibition
will offer a cross-section of Rubington’s varied output, including nude
figures, cityscapes, still lifes and work that shows his humor and exuberance
with form and color. In addition, artifacts on display will include editions of
his books, literary magazines, letters, video of Rubington at work and
paraphernalia from his years in the studio.
The gallery will host a reception
for the exhibition from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, including a talk by
John de St. Jorre, author of “Venus Bound: The Erotic Voyage of the
Olympia Press and its Writers.” Jorre’s talk, titled “Norman Rubington: Graphic
Pioneer, Sometime Pornographer, Lifelong Artist,” will focus on Rubington’s
work for Olympia Press. The talk will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the University
Center Webb Room.
For more information on the artist
and the exhibition, visit www.normanrubingtonfromthestudio.com
or www.normanrubington.com. The Rubington estate is
managed by executor Ann May Greene of Wyncote, Pa.
The Widener University Art Gallery
is free and open to the public. The gallery is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 7
p.m. and Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and. The
gallery will be closed Saturday, August 31 in recognition of Labor Day.
The gallery is located in University
Center on the Chester Campus of Widener University, on 14th Street
between Walnut Street and Melrose Avenue. For more information, contact the
Widener University Art Gallery at 610-499-1189 or visit the gallery website at www.widener.edu/artgallery.
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