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 Friday, January 25, 2008 – Sunday, May 18, 2008
Gallery 6
No dilettante debutante (though her good manners were widely
lauded), Maud Gatewood (1934 – 2004), was a disciplined and accomplished painter,
a respected teacher and an impassioned community activist.
She has been
described as a hard-drinking chain smoker, as blunt, feisty, tough and
demanding, both of herself and of those around her. Yet her paintings are
tinged with gentleness and sincerity, evocative without being literal. Most of
all, the paintings reflect a passion for the landscape and a deep understanding
of the human condition.
Born in Yanceyville,
NC, Maud Gatewood trained as an
Abstract Expressionist. Much of her work negotiates that murky line between
abstraction and representation. Formal problems were of great interest to her
and were often the impetus for starting a painting.
 Though she never fully
relinquished representation, her subjects are rendered in a way that could
never be achieved through traditional realism.
Replete with broad swaths of
color and alternating between moments of quiet tranquility and energized
movement, Gatewood’s work showcases her unique technique with skill and grace
while it confesses her own predilection for narrative and a deep commitment to
the people and places of her home state and region.
In 1994, the Asheville
Art Museum was one of a
handful of venues to show a large-scale retrospective of the artist’s work. We
are delighted to present Maud Gatewood again with new acquisitions to the
permanent collection from her bequest.
This exhibition was organized
and curated by the Asheville
Art Museum.
This
project is sponsored in part by the Midgard Foundation, Drs. Robert &
Priscilla Bleke and Mr. & Mrs. Russell E. Newton, Jr.
Related uocoming programs:
Art Break, Discussion with Gatewood
collectors
Friday, May 9, 12:00 p.m.
Image credit:
(top)
Maud Gatewood
Woman Calling from
Shadow, 1990
Acrylic on canvas
40 x 36 inches
Bequest of the Artist
Asheville
Art Museum Collection
Maud Gatewood
Tunnel in Snow, 1974
Acrylic on canvas
50 x 56 inches
Bequest of the Artist
Asheville
Art Museum Collection
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