Kent Ullberg Retrospective Sculpture Exhibition Visits Jackson Hole Feb. 4 – May 8; National Touring Exhibit Features 48 Sculptures Created Over a 35-year Span
A traveling retrospective exhibit of 48 pieces by Kent Ullberg, widely recognized as one of the word's leading wildlife sculptors, will be on display at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, 2820 Rungius Road in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, from February 4 until May 8. David Wagner, Ph.D., is the exhibit's curator and tour director.
(PRWEB) January 24, 2005 -- A traveling retrospective exhibit of 48 pieces by
Kent Ullberg, widely recognized as one of the word's leading wildlife sculptors,
will be on display at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, 2820 Rungius Road in
Jackson Hole, Wyoming, from February 4 until May 8. David Wagner, Ph.D., is the
exhibit's curator and tour director.
The exhibition, which premiered at
Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, was mounted in response to a monumental
public art commission created by Ullberg for the new First National Center in
Omaha, Nebraska. The bank installation, of epic scale, involves 58 bronze and
stainless steel geese with eight-foot wingspans lifting off from a downtown
fountain and entering the urban landscape. The geese are attached to traffic
light standards and buildings throughout downtown Omaha, ultimately entering the
First National Center’s atrium. A heroic composition of a bronze wagon train
created by Ed Fraughton and Blair Buswell spans a downtown park, driving a
charging herd of Ullberg's larger-than-life bison on a journey throughout the
downtown area.
The National Museum of Wildlife Art knows Ullberg’s work
well. One of his pieces, “Waiting for Sockeye,” a monumental bear sculpture,
sits at the front of the facility. The museum awarded Ullberg the Rungius Medal
for lifetime achievement in 1996, and includes “Evolution,” a 1992 bronze,
amongst its permanent collection.
Exhibition sculptures were selected
from the more than 50 monuments and 250 smaller castings Ullberg has produced in
his career and represent creatures from land, sea and air. Models give insight
into Ullberg's sense of design and mechanics. Others are smaller sculptures of
unique and delicate beauty. Pieces in the exhibition span from 1969’s “Owl” to
2004’s “Archipenkos Heron,” and includes "Wind in the Sails," a 1999 stainless
steel sculpture that stands in Stockholm, Sweden.
Future dates and
locations where the exhibit will be on display include:
- May 28-July 24, 2005, Bergstrom-Mahler Museum, Neenah, Wisconsin
-
August 15-October 30, 2005, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston,
Texas
- November 15, 2005-January 1, 2006, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum,
Tuscon, Arizona
- January 14-March 12, 2006, Foothills Art Center, Golden,
Colorado
The exhibition and tour has been generously underwritten by
First National Bank, Omaha, Nebraska.
Curator/Tour Director David J.
Wagner, Ph.D., on Ullberg's work:
"No matter where Kent Ullberg's work is
judged, it succeeds because of the breadth, depth and sophistication of his
knowledge and talent. In the world of New York's National Academy of Design or
the National Sculpture Society, Ullberg's art stands out because he deeply
understands nature, and his treatment of it goes beyond urbane aesthetics. In
the world of the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the Society of Animal Artists,
or The Wildlife Experience, Ullberg's work rises above the rest because he
applies his broad knowledge of art history to create his sculptures. He aspires
to be true to art and to nature."
About Kent Ullberg
A native of
Sweden, Kent Ullberg is recognized as one of the world’s foremost wildlife
sculptors. While he has done hundreds of works on a small scale, he is perhaps
best known for the monumental works he has executed for museums and
municipalities from Omaha, Nebraska to Cape Town, South Africa. His Fort
Lauderdale, Florida and Omaha, Nebraska installations are the largest wildlife
bronze compositions ever done, spanning several city blocks. Regardless of
scale, he imbues all of his subjects with unparalleled vitality.
Ullberg
is a member of a number of important art organizations that have honored him
with prestigious awards. These include, in New York City, Allied Artists of
America, National Academy of Design, National Arts Club, National Sculpture
Society and the Society of Animal Artists. The National Academy of Design
elected Ullberg a full “Academician,” one of the highest recognitions a visual
artist can receive. His memberships and awards outside New York include the
American Society of Marine Artists, Ambler, Pennsylvania; and the National
Academy of Western Art, Oklahoma City, which awarded him the Prix de West Award
in 1998, the foremost award in western art. He is a major supporter of many
wildlife conservation efforts.
Ullberg’s work can be found in major
museums and corporate headquarters around the globe, including the National
Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, Sweden; the National Gallery in
Botswana, Africa; National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.; Exhibition
Hall, Beijing, China; the Guildhall in London, and many more. His pieces can
also be found in the private collections of world leaders and celebrities,
including H.R.H. Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Jack Nicholson and Robert
Wagner. For more information, call (970) 667-7809 or (361) 851-1600, or email
e-mail protected from spam bots.
About The National Museum of Wildlife
Art
The National Museum of Wildlife Art is home to the nation's premier
public collection of fine art devoted to wildlife. Located just three miles
north of Jackson town square on Highway 89, the building is nestled into a
hillside overlooking the 20,000-acre National Elk Refuge and the Gros Ventre
Mountains in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The museum is unique among American art
museums, distinguished by its mission and location. With collections of nearly
2,300 works of art, the museum strives to enrich and inspire public appreciation
of fine art and humanity's relationship with nature by focusing its exhibitions
and programs on wildlife. The 51,000 square foot facility features 12 galleries,
15,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 200-seat auditorium, two full-sized
classrooms, as well as a conference room, gift shop, café and lobby. The museum
receives 90,000 visitors a year. For more information, visit www.wildlifeart.org, call
800-313-9553 or (307) 733-5771, or email e-mail protected from spam
bots.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/1/prweb200885.htm