Gene Benson, Untitled, 2015, gouache on paper, 20 3/4 x 23 inches
This month we are hosting a memorial exhibition for Al’s longtime studio manager and the foundation’s collection manager, Gene Benson. Sadly, Gene passed away unexpectedly in December. Throughout the thirty years he spent devoted to Al’s art, he maintained an impressive studio practice of his own. He created wonderful paintings and drawings inspired by his home here in the Catskill mountains, as well as early modernists such as Van Gogh and Arthur Dove. Over the years, these landscapes became more and more abstracted as Gene continued to experiment with color and form. His work was exhibited in galleries across the tristate region, including a solo show at Imogen Holloway Gallery (Saugerties, NY) in 2012.
The memorial exhibition features a selection of nearly 50 paintings and many drawings installed in the Painting Studio, which was the central hub of his work and life here. The exhibition is open to the public on April 13 and April 22, in conjunction with tours of the River Valley Arts Collective exhibition of Brigitta Váradi's work, curated by Marisa Espe. Advance registration is required, please sign up here.