Michael Oatman Monumental Collages on Display
The Thompson Gallery at The Cambridge School of Weston is sure to wow viewers with the final show in “Collage at 100,” a three-part exhibition series that celebrates the centennial of the appearance of collage in painting. With over 60 works, Michael Oatman: Another Fine Mess, is the largest exhibition of the artist's work to date on display at the Thompson Gallery within the Garthwaite Center for Science and Art through June 16, 2013. Another Fine Mess offers a wonderful insight into Oatman’s 30-year expertise as a collage artist.
Known throughout New England for his "maximum collages," a term that Oatman coined to describe his encyclopedic approach to installation art, the Thompson Gallery will present three of his oversized works including Branch - an impressive 10 by 30 feet monster of a collage and Oatman's newest work that has never been seen in Massachusetts. Branch is the artist's magnum opus in which he explores Pieter Bruegel the Elder's 1562 painting The Triumph of Death.It was commissioned for The Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art, at Hamilton College, and is coming directly from the museum to the Thompson Gallery.
“Visitors will be drawn in by Oatman's wit, humor and ingenuity as a visual thinker,” said Todd Bartel, Thompson Gallery Director and art teacher. “This exhibition has been one of our most popular and densely concentrated shows. It is thrilling for our teaching gallery to take the pulse of contemporary collage after its inception 100 years ago.”
There will be a reception with Oatman at the Thompson Gallery on Friday, April 19, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.