Charles Thwaites: A Retrospective

July 16 - September 7

Sneak Peek: Friday, July 18 - 10:30 a.m.
Opening Reception: Sunday, July 20 - 1:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Lecture - 2:00 p.m.

Long overdue, the MWA is proud to mount the first-ever retrospective of Charles Thwaites' paintings. Born in Milwaukee in 1904, Charles' work through the 1930s and 40s reflected the regionalist aesthetic of the day and revealed his keen awareness of his surroundings: he painted cheese factories, funerals, portraits, city scenes and landscapes. In 1950 Charles and his wife, Wisconsin artist Antoinette Gruppe, began traveling in the southwest. By 1952 they settled in Taos, Charles painting Native American portraits and ceremonial rites, realist landscapes and, increasingly, abstract images suffused with energy and color that saw him join the group known as the “Taos Moderns.”

The MWA would like to express its sincere gratitude to Helen Thwaits Buttel and husband Robert, William Ogg, Jack and Carol Thwaits, Tim Dahlstrand, Lucia Thwaits Dahlstrand and Olof Dahlstrand, Firth and Colin Waldon, the Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University, and the Milwaukee Art Museum for their generous loans to this exhibition.

Accompanying this exhibition is the first full-color catalog on Thwaites. Entitled The Art of Charles Thwaites: Freedom of Expression, it is written by Susan Hallsten McGarry and will be available at the museum's gift shop.

On Friday, July 18th at 10:30 a.m. at the Sneak Peek Friday, Graeme Reid, MWA Assistant Director and curator for Charles Thwaites: A Retrospective will discuss the artist and his work.

August

“The past year of my life included having my first child, moving to a new house, having health problems and supporting my husband while he finished his doctoral dissertation; all while trying to find a balance between being a new mom and having a career. The unexpected struggles and joy are the subject matter for this series of neck pieces. I chose to make them neck pieces because it seemed that it was the best way to make objects that have the potential to comfort, adorn, or harm you. The materials I chose also address these three ideas: felted wool is meant to symbolize comfort, like a warm scarf; the glass seed beads shimmer and shine like precious stones; and the metal symbolizes items worn around the neck that are meant to restrain or cause harm. The shapes I use sometimes very obviously depict objects or ideas, while others are vague or ambiguous references to the inspiration for the piece.”

Arthur Thrall: The Sensuous Line

July 2 - September 28

Although Arthur Thrall formally retired from twenty-six years of teaching at Lawrence University in 1990, he has never stopped making art. Visiting his studio on Milwaukee’s Center Street daily, he passionately continues to paint and make prints. This exhibition will focus on recent work which will exemplify Arthur’s remarkable ability to transcribe line and movement in a manner that combines both the sensuous and the colorful.

Opening Reception:
Sunday, September 7 - 1:30 - 4:00 p.m.