Manuel Izquierdo: Myth, Nature, and Renewal

January 19 – March 24, 2013

Melvin Henderson-Rubio Gallery


Organized by Professor Emeritus Roger Hull, this exhibition explores the life and career of Portland artist and teacher Manuel Izquierdo (1925-2009). Throughout his 60-year career, Izquierdo created stunning and evocative sculptures in steel, wood, and stone, as well as exquisite prints and works on paper, based on mythological figures as well as abstract plant and animal forms. Izquierdo's works helped bring a new level of sophistication to Oregon modernism in the second half of the twentieth century. This exhibition features over 50 sculptures accompanied by paintings, prints and photographs created during Izquierdo's career and draws from public and private collections throughout the region.

Two small companion exhibitions opened on Nov. 17, 2012 and continue through Feb. 10, 2013. Manuel Izquierdo: Maquettes and Small Sculptures provides an opportunity to see Izquierdo’s creative process and features a number of models and sculptures that served as improvisational pieces and exercises that sometimes formed the basis for larger works. Manuel Izquierdo: Works on Paper presents a range of the artist's prints, created between the late 1940s and the early 2000s.

As part of the opening celebration, Hull will talk about the life and artistic legacy of Izquierdo on Jan. 18, at 5 p.m. in the Paulus Lecture Hall at the Willamette University College of Law. Admission to the lecture is free. The presentation will be followed by a reception at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art.

This exhibition is accompanied by a full-color monograph, “Manuel Izquierdo: Myth, Nature and Renewal,” written by Professor Hull. The book was supported by gifts from family and friends of Izquierdo, and supporters of Northwest art.

Support
This exhibition has been has been supported in part by grants from the City of Salem’s Transient Occupancy Tax funds and the Oregon Arts Commission.


Back to Top