JUANITA GUCCIONE: DEFIANT ACTS

Presented with Weinstein Gallery

On view September 13-November 1, 2014

Opening Reception: Saturday, September 13, 5:00pm-8:00pm

Lecture: Susan Aberth, "Women in Surrealism" Sunday, September 14, 2014 3:00pm

Gallery Hours: Monday-Friday 10:00am-3:00pm, nights and weekends by appointment

In Seligmann's Studio

Juanita Guccione (1904-1999) is one such artist whose work--and life--mirrored the radically creative and philosophical underpinnings of Surrealism. After a childhood in Massachusetts and Brooklyn, Guccione became a fashion model in New York City in the 1920s; rather than falling into the romantic role of 'muse,' she studied at the Art Students League before venturing to France, Italy and Greece, supporting herself through portrait commissions. From there she sailed to Egypt, eventually settling in 1931 in Bou Saada, an artists' colony in Algeria, amongst the Ouled Nail tribe. Traveling among Bedouin nomads in the Sahara, she produced a diverse oeuvre of portraits and landscapes that in1935 would be exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum, alongside works by Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. After the birth of her son in 1934, Guccione returned to New York, designing murals with David Alfaro-Siqueiros for the Works Progress Administration and studying for seven years with Hans Hofman. Guccione infused social realism, cubism, surrealism and abstraction with her own indefinable and audacious style, creating an independent mythology and challenging social conventions in her art and life. Women populate her canvases in wonderland environments, alongside animals, architecture, and fantastical landscapes, at times hinting to world events, other times mystic explorations. The writer and poet Anais Nin said of Juanita, "Few people can paint the world of our dreams with as much magic, precision and clarity." Guccione's work continued to evolve and elude the interpretations of critics worldwide-- ultimately to her peril, as her name and art fell into relative obscurity. 

The art critic Michael Welzenbach of the Washington Post writes that Guccione's "single-minded approach to her work, (her) willingness to follow its development wherever that might lead...locates (her) squarely among the few but formidable ranks of the modernist avant-garde--a group whose integrity and vision will not be seen again in this century."

LECTURE

Renowned author and art historian, Susan L. Aberth wrote the first monograph on the artist Leonora Carrington, Leonora Carrington: Surrealism, Alchemy and Art (2010), and is currently writing for the upcoming monograph of Juanita Guccione. Susan is recognized for her research in the fields of women artists and the Surrealist movement, as well as all Latin American art. She received her PhD in Art History from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and is currently an Associate Professor of Art History at Bard College.

The exhibition and lecture are presented in partnership with Weinstein Gallery of San Francisco, California. The exhibition and lecture will be presented in Seligmann's Studio. Admission is free. 

Juanita Guccione, Symphony in Orange, Oil on canvas, 27 x 34", 1937 

CALL FOR ARTISTS

MAGICAL EVENTS: A SMALL WORKS EXHIBITION

The Seligmann Center, welcomes submissions for its upcoming exhibition, Magical Events: A Small Works Exhibition, on view November 14-January 3.  Artists are invited to submit two-dimensional and three-dimensional works of any medium. There is no width restriction, however works may not exceed 10” in height or depth, including frames and peripheral elements.  The exhibition will occupy two galleries on the Seligmann Center property: Seligmann’s Studio and Foyer Gallery, located in the converted barn and farmhouse.  Submission deadline: Friday, October 3. 

ABOUT

The Seligmann Center at the Orange County Citizens Foundation is an artist-run center located on the 50-acre rural homestead of Swiss-American Surrealist Kurt Seligmann (1900-1962) and his wife Arlette (Wildenstein Paraf) Seligmann (1906-1992). The Seligmann Center is committed to presenting readings, concerts, exhibitions, workshops, performances, and interdisciplinary works by emerging and established artists.  Founded in 2010 by the Orange County Citizens Foundation and a group of artists, the Seligmann Center offers several unique exhibition and performance spaces in its converted farmhouse buildings and throughout its grounds. In July 2014 the Center dedicated the Robert Fagan Art Library, the largest public collection of art books in the county.

The Center is located about 50 miles northwest of New York City in a vibrant rural area of Orange County in the village of Sugar Loaf.  The history of the site is palpable—Max Ernst slept in the Guest House; Marcel Duchamp shot five bullets into the barn foundation; Alexander Calder pulled prints from the very same press that is still in use today, and others, including Yves Tanguy, Kay Sage, Peggy Guggenheim, and Meyer Schapiro, spent time on the property.  In its four years the Seligmann Center has presented works by such notable artists as Robert Whitman, Hiroaki Sato, Jacob Kirkegaard, Katinka Fogh Vindelev, Philip Pearlstein, Chaim Gross, Forrest Myers, Cy Twombly, and Lynne Sharon Schwartz.  The Seligmann Center honors the Seligmann’s tradition of bringing people together and welcomes the new, presenting contemporary work that enriches, challenges, and connects.

THE GALLERIES

The Kurt Seligmann Studio is a 19^th century dairy barn modified with a full wall of north-facing windows (33 x 16’).  Foyer Gallery is located in the Robert Fagan Library on the second floor of the farmhouse. The gallery consists of four columns of six 2’ x 1’ shelves and two 8 x 8’ walls. In addition to these spaces, the homestead features Guest House Gallery, a cubic space for new media and site-specific work, a bog garden and trails, and expansive grounds for outdoor works.

TERMS

Submissions will be reviewed by an anonymous jury of artists.  Artists will receive notification by Friday, October 24. Selected artists are responsible for the shipment, delivery, and if unsold, return of all work.  Works needn’t be framed, but must arrive ready to be hung or displayed.  Artists may submit up to five images. All submissions must be accompanied by an image list with the title, medium, dimensions, and date of all works. Images must be formatted as jpegs, 72 dpi, with maximum (digital) dimensions of ten inches.

Submission fee: $25 for three submissions, $35 for four submissions, $45 for five submissions, payable through PayPal. The Seligmann Center will receive a 20% commission for all sold works.

SUBMISSIONS

Artists may send up to five images (jpegs, formatted at 72dpi) and an image list (with title, medium, dimensions, and year of all works) to seligmanncentersubmissions@gmail.com and pay the corresponding entry fee via PayPal. Please do not mail submissions—they will not be reviewed. Incomplete submissions will not be considered.  All submissions will be kept on file in the Robert Fagan Art Library.

Questions? Contact us: seligmanncenter@gmail.com

DATES

Submission Deadline: Friday, October 3
Notification by: Friday, October 24

On View: Friday, November 14-Saturday, January 3

Opening Reception: Friday, November 14

SUBMIT: seligmanncentersubmissions@gmail.com

ENTRY FEE

1-3 Submissions $25.00 USD 4 Submissions $35.00 USD 5 Submissions $45.00 USD