World-Class Art in Kent, Litchfield County, CT

Kent, CT has long been the art center of Litchfield County. Today, the epicenter of Kent’s art world is at the Kent Village Barns where the Morrison and Ober Galleries reside amongst a half-dozen Peter Woytuk scupltures. Here, a look at some of the best art that Kent has to offer.

Peter Woytuk on Broadway in NYC 2011-2012

by kvbadmin on October 21, 2011

NEW YORK CITY – (September 19, 2011) Peter Woytuk on Broadway, a major exhibition of bronze sculptures, will be exhibited on the Broadway Malls from Columbus Circle to 168th Street beginning on October 21, 2011, through April 2012. The artist is represented by the popular Litchfield County gallery, The Morrison Gallery, and the sculptures are a well-loved sight at Kent Village Barns.

The exhibition begins in Columbus Circle, the start of the Broadway Malls, with the monumental, life size “Elephant Pair.” A bronze Woytuk menagerie of sheep, ostriches, crows, hens and other fanciful sculptures continues at intervals along the Malls, concluding at Mitchell Square at 168th Street with three 2,500-pound seated “Bulls.” Read more at The Morrison Gallery’s website.

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Cleve Gray–Opening at the Morrison Gallery, August 27. Litchfield County Art at its Finest

by kvbadmin on August 22, 2011

CLEVE GRAY at the Morrison Gallery
AUGUST 27th – OCTOBER 16h, 2011

EXHIBIT OF EARLY 1960′s WORKS BY CLEVE GRAY

An exhibit of works from the early 1960s by Abstract Expressionist Cleve Gray will open August 27th at The Morrison Gallery with a reception from 5-7 pm.  The show at the major New England gallery will run through October 16th, and will feature about 20 oil paintings by Gray, who died in 2004.

Cleve’s early 60’s work reflects a transition in style, employing techniques of contemporaries Jackson Pollock, Helen Frankenthaler, Mark Rothko, and Clyfford Still. He began to produce large paintings using a variety of application methods – pouring, staining, sponging, and other nontraditional techniques – to create compositions combining expanses of pure color and spontaneous calligraphic gestures.

American artist Betty Parsons described Gray as, “A painter who jumped the romantic fence into an ancient field of signs and symbols.”

Cleve Gray was born in New York on Sept. 22, 1918 and graduated summa cum laude from Princeton with a degree in art and archaeology. While at Princeton, he studied Chinese art with the noted scholar George Rowley. Following Army service in World War II, where he sketched wartime destruction in Europe, he began informal studies with the French artists André Lhote and Jacques Villon. He had his first solo exhibition at the Jacques Seligmann Gallery in New York in 1947, and his work is now included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and many other museums.

The Morrison Gallery is a 7,000 square foot space in the historic Old Barn section of Kent and is home to an on-going schedule of exhibitions by prominent local and national artists.

For more information call the gallery at: 860.927.4501

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“Exploratory Folk Jazz” Comes to Kent, CT

by kvbadmin on May 19, 2011

If you’re looking for live innovative jazz in Litchfield County, read on. Critically acclaimed New York saxophonist Daniel Bennett who has recently shared concert stages with national artists like Bill Frisell, Charlie Hunter, James Carter, Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin & Wood), Jerry Bergonzi, and David Fiuczynski will be performing at Doc’s Trattoria at Kent Village Barns in May and June. Described by the Boston Herald as “exploratory folk jazz,” and as “a mix of jazz, folk and trance” by the Boston Globe, the Daniel Bennett Group’s music is known for being innovative, yet accessible to a wide listening base. Here he is talking about his landmark work, and performing live in NYC. You can catch the trio live at Doc’s Trattoria, 9 Maple Street, Kent, CT next Thursday, May 29, 2011 and Thursday, June 9, 2011.

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A Day of Art in Kent, Litchfield County

by kvbadmin on May 13, 2011

Kent, CT has long been known as a destination for art aficionados. Continuing in that tradition, Kent Village Barns is home to two Litchfield County’s most prominent galleries–the Morrison Gallery, and the Ober Gallery–and is a close walking distance to several others. Here, a roundup of must-hit galleries for an art-filled stroll near the Housatonic.

Start your walk at the The Morrison Gallery at 8 Old Barn Road, Kent, CT (pictured below). This 7,000 square foot contemporary art gallery is one of New England’s largest, and a Litchfield County sensation. “The scale, the architecture, the openness and the natural light are perfect for showcasing the most monumental of paintings and sculptures,” says owner Billy Morrison.

Next on your walk, visit the Ober Gallery, 6 North Main Street, Kent, CT (pictured below). Founded in 2006 by Rob Ober, the gallery shows contemporary artists from New York, New England, and Russia, and has a reputation for showing important twentieth century and contemporary Russian art.

When in the area, be sure to stop by the Kent Arts Association at 21 S. Main Street and the Heron American Craft Gallery at 16 Main Street.

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