Albert Paley / Portals & Gates exhibition has been extended!

Exhibition will close at the Christian Petersen Art Museum on March 7, 2008 and close at the Brunnier Art Museum on March 9, 2008.

The exhibition, Albert Paley: Portals and Gates, consisting of over 50 works of art by artist Albert Paley will open August 20, 2007 at the Christian Petersen Art Museum at Morrill Hall. Two companion exhibitions at the Brunnier Art Museum in the Scheman Building, part of the University Museums at Iowa State University, and at Hometown Perry, Iowa will open on August 20th. Works of art have been selected from private and museum collections and will be on display through March 7, 2008 at the Christian Petersen Art Museum and March 9, 2008 at the Brunnier Art Museum.  A publication on this subject is available. 

The exhibition and publication present a comprehensive overview of public, private, and institutional passageways created by Albert Paley.  Focusing on portals and gates, the selection includes drawings, models/maquettes in cardboard, wood and steel, in addition to full-scale gates that are forged and fabricated of steel, copper and bronze. The overview will span from the Portal Gates (1974) at the Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art, Washington, D. C. to the recent Iowa State University art commission for the entrance to Morrill Hall.

The project reveals the great diversity and exceptional quality of Paley’s work through an analysis of its formal characteristics and establish its significance through an examination of the aesthetic, symbolic and utilitarian function of these objects within American sculpture and architecture. It will identify those characteristics which define Paley’s distinct style and the uniqueness of these objects that are thematically tied together. The project  examines the many stylistic variations, both built and conceptual, providing an explanation of the concept, design process, chronology of forms and fabrication process.  The striking manner in which Paley responds to each work of art will be revealed by documenting the transformation of gates and portals from utilitarian objects to an aesthetic symbol of passage.  Essentially, this project presents the finest examples of Paley’s gates and portals to celebrate his place within the larger context of art and architecture.

Albert Paley has completed more than 50 works of art for both public institutions and private corporations over his 30-year career as one of the world's foremost sculptors, including the Portal Gates for the New York State Senate Chambers in Albany; a monumental sculpture for a Federal Building in Asheville, N.C.; a plaza sculpture for AT&T in Atlanta; as well as a 65-foot sculpture for the entry court of Bausch and Lomb's headquarters in Rochester, N.Y.  Paley is a Distinguished Professor holding an endowed chair at the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

M. Jessica Rowe is the guest curator and author, and the exhibitions are organized by the University Museums, Iowa State University.  The publication and exhibitions are funded by Hometown Perry, Iowa, the Henry Luce Foundation, Inc., Ann and Al Jennings, and University Museums and its Membership, Iowa State University.

The Christian Petersen Art Museum is located on the ground and first floors of Morrill Hall.  Admission is free, however there is a suggested donation of $3 per visitor.  The Christian Petersen Art Museum’s regular hours are as follows: Monday through Friday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.  The museum is closed on University holidays and during University Breaks.

A companion exhibition focusing on Paley’s project for the St. Louis Zoo called Animals Always, is located at the Brunnier Art Museum. The Brunnier Art Museum is located on the second floor of the Scheman Building, Iowa State Center. The Brunnier Art Museum hours are Tuesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

These exhibitions and the publication are sponsored by Hometown Perry, Iowa; the Luce Foundation, Inc., University Museums and its membership, Iowa State University; Arthur Klein; John and Mary Pappajohn; and Ann and Al Jennings.