September 28, 2007 — January 20, 2008          

Gallery 6

Stone Roberts was born in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1951. He is a figurative painter who currently lives and works in New York City and Stonington, Connecticut. Roberts earned a BA degree from Yale University and studied art at the Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, and in Rome.

While his paintings pay homage to the old masters, they are clearly the work of a contemporary artist. The influences of Greek mythology and 17th century Dutch still-life are readily apparent in his work, yet the details are clearly grounded in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. His painting of Danae is sited not in an ancient Greek tower but rather a New York City loft.

His still-life paintings recalls the Northern European Vanitas tradition. In these paintings, artists would present appealing examples of worldly items such as rare flowers, exotic foods and expensive containers. However within the painting, the artist would also include reminders of the transitory nature of these objects.  Roberts’ English Forcer Still Life includes fruits in containers, a convex mirror a la Jan Van Eyck as well as more modern touches - a bell jar with a price tag in the upper right and in the lower right a pocket watch, an antique by 21st century standards, a high tech device by those of the 17th century.

Although Roberts grew up in Asheville and still has family in the area, this will be the first large scale exhibition of his in North Carolina and one of only a handful to take place outside of New York City.

Organized and curated by the Asheville Art Museum.This project is sponsored in part by the Midgard Foundation, The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation and Cary & Charlie Owen.

Image Credit: 

Stone Roberts
English Forcer Still Life, 2005
Oil on linen, 27 x 36 inches Private Collection

Special Events

Artist Talk and Book Signing: Stone Roberts