Hunter Museum of American Art is proud to host the exhibition “Once & Again: Still Lifes by Beth Lipman,” featuring large-scale, three-dimensional sculptures of dazzling glass inspired by 17th-century Baroque still-life paintings.
Curators say “Once & Again” reflects the themes and processes explored during Lipman’s entire career, such as the superabundance of contemporary culture, consumerism, decay and materiality.
The Wisconsin-based artist finds inspiration in European master paintings and draws links between past and present, expanding beyond still life to incorporate elements of portraiture and the landscape into her intricate works. The results are provocative pieces that transcend the glittering beauty of glass and speak about issues relevant to contemporary life.
Also featured in the exhibition are photographs taken during a residency in Alaska in 2014, unique because Lipman placed her clear glass pieces directly into the landscape, turning the still-life object into a portrait. With some of her photographic work, the artist destroys and recycles the glass, further commenting on the inability of things to satisfy, the fragility of life and our role in the natural cycle.
“Once & Again” is the largest presentation of Lipman’s work to date. It is organized by the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in Alabama.