Paul Cadmus -- the 93-year-old American artist who has been described both as "one of the most elegant and eloquent American artists of this century" and an "enfant terrible" -- plans to be present at the opening of an exhibition of his works on Friday, Sept. 12, at the Yale University Art Gallery.
"Paul Cadmus, Visionary Realist" will open on that date with a reception 4-6 p.m. The exhibition of 20 paintings, drawings and prints by Mr. Cadmus features many of the artist's most characteristic -- and most controversial -- images from the 1930s and 1940s. Among these are "Shore Leave," "Coney Island" and "The Fleet's In!"
Some of the works that will be on view aroused official outrage from the United States and the Coney Island Chamber of Commerce at the time they were first exhibited. Noted mainly for his images of the human figure, which Mr. Cadmus has described as "the subject I'm most interested in," the artist fuses in his works the inspiration of Italian Renaissance artists (Luca Signorela and Piero della Francesca are among his particular favorites) with comic and sometimes biting social satire.
"Cadmus's art repeatedly asks how everyday humanity measures up to the potential of the human form," says Jonathan Weinberg, associate professor of the history of art, in the exhibition's brochure. "Certainly the relevance of Cadmus's work for many of today's critics has to do with its unabashed depiction of homosexual desire. ... It is important to note, however, that Cadmus did not exempt homosexuals from his often harsh satire."
Mr. Cadmus's works are in major public collections, including the National Gallery of Art, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum, and they have been widely and frequently exhibited. The artist continues to work in his Weston, Connecticut, studio.
In conjunction with the exhibition, a symposium titled "Cadmus in
Context" will take place on Sunday, Oct. 12, at 2 p.m. in the lecture hall
of the Yale University Gallery, 1111 Chapel St.
The symposium, which is free and open to the public, will focus on Mr.
Cadmus's work, his circle of associates and issues in American figurative
art from 1930 to the present. Mr. Cadmus also plans to be at this event.
Further information on the event will appear in a future issue of the Yale Bulletin & Calendar.
The Yale University Art Gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, 1-6 p.m. A museum entrance for persons using wheelchairs is located at 201 York St., with a reserved parking space nearby. For general information, call 432-0600; for information about access, call 432-0606.