An exhibit of American painter, printmaker and sculptor Oliver Lee Jackson’s Recent Paintings bringing together 18 of his works made over the past 15 years will be on display at National Gallery of Art between April 14 and September 15.
The exhibit features a collection of Jackson’s 25 works created over the past decade and a half. It includes a portrait of late Julius Hemphill, who was an adventurous jazz saxophonist.
“Oliver Lee Jackson has created a complex body of work which masterfully weaves together visual influences ranging from the Renaissance to modernism with principles of rhythm and improvisation drawn from his study of African cultures and American jazz,” says the exhibit brief.
In Jackson’s large-scale paintings, figural elements of bodies kneeling and playing instruments are blended with colorful abstract compositions and worked surfaces. “Each painting creates a space and world of its own, captivating viewers and challenging them to spend time with the mesmerizing works,” the brief adds.
Jackson, 84, was born in 1935 in St. Louis, Missouri. He has served as assistant director of People’s Art Center (1963-64) and as director of Program Uhuru (1967-68). He’s also taught at California State University, Sacramento for several years. In 2000, he was invited to serve as Artist in Residence at Harvard University. He currently lives and works in Oakland, California, where he set up his studio in 1982.
Curated by Harry Cooper, senior curator and head of department of modern art at National Gallery of Art, the exhibition is organized by the museum, which also houses Jackson’s artworks as part of their permanent collections.
The exhibition is supported and sponsored by Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation. The Tower Project of the National Gallery of Art provided additional funding for it.
Admission is free and passes are not required to see the exhibit.