Ogden Museum of Southern Art
University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
504-539-9600
http://www.ogdenmuseum.org
Benny Andrews and Nene Humphrey: The Art
of Family
Celebrating its six-month anniversary in the Warehouse District,
the Ogden Museum of Southern Art presents nationally recognized artists,
husband and wife, Benny Andrews and Nene Humphrey, The exhibition entitled,
The Art of Family, includes works from both Andrews and Humphrey
as well as various members of their families. A singular collection of paintings,
collages and drawings will be on view at the temporary gallery at 603 Julia
Street through May 24, 2000. (left: Benny Andrews, Death Hands, 1996)
Andrews' and Humphrey's work has been seen all over the
world and in hundreds of galleries and museums throughout the United States
including: the Museum of Modern Art in New York; the Smithsonian Institute
in Washington, D.C.; the Wadsworth Athaneum in Hartford, Conn. and the High
Museum of Art in Atlanta, Ga. "It is truly an honor to have artists
of Benny's and Nene's stature and universal appeal at the Ogden," says
J. Richard Gruber, director of the Ogden Museum.
The son of sharecroppers in rural Georgia, Andrews maintains
studios in Georgia, New York and Connecticut. The first member of his family
to graduate from high school, Andrews studied at Fort Valley State College,
served in the Air Force during the Korean conflict and then went on to study
visual art at the school of the Art Institute of Chicago. The young artist
then moved to New York in 1958. Over the next 30 years, Andrews would serve
as the Director of the Visual Arts program for the National Endowment for
the Arts, professor at Queen's College and visiting artist at many universities.
Humphrey, a sculptor, photographer and installation artist, earned national
praise for her mixed media work exploring women's domestic arts. She was
born in Wisconsin and received a BA from St. Mary's College, an MA from
Goddard College and an MFA from York University. She has taught at Parson's,
Princeton University and is currently a professor at the prestigious Rhode
Island School of Design.
In addition to Andrew's and Humphrey's solo work, a collection
of cyanotype works they collaborated on last fall at the Hambridge Center
in Rabun Gap, Georgia will be on display for the first time at the Ogden
Museum. "The collaborative exhibition of Benny and Nene's work exemplifies
an important stage in Southern art that reflects the fundamental mission
of the Ogden Museum," says Gruber.
Other family member's work represented in "The Art
of Family" exhibition include: paintings by Benny's father, self-taught
artist George ("The Dot Man") Andrews; writings of Benny's mother
Viola Andrews and brother, the late Raymond Andrews as well as works by
his sons, Thomas and Christopher Andrews. The Humphrey family also contributes
to the show, including Nene's mother Eleanor's cross stitch and her father's
paintings.
Read more about the Ogden Museum
of Southern Art in Resource Library Magazine
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This page was originally published in Resource
Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for
more information. rev. 2/1/11
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reserved.
Celebrating its six-month anniversary in the Warehouse District,
the Ogden Museum of Southern Art presents nationally recognized artists,
husband and wife, Benny Andrews and Nene Humphrey, The exhibition entitled,
The Art of Family, includes works from both Andrews and Humphrey
as well as various members of their families. A singular collection of paintings,
collages and drawings will be on view at the temporary gallery at 603 Julia
Street through May 24, 2000. (left: Benny Andrews, Death Hands, 1996)