YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – An exhibition of 50 works by renowned hyper-realist painter Gary T. Erbe that salutes Abraham Lincoln will open Sunday, Jan. 25, at The Butler Institute of American Art.
The show, which is part of the museum’s America250 events that mark the nation’s semiquincentennial anniversary, will run through March 29.
“Gary Erbe: Magical World” will pay homage to Lincoln. The Butler’s America250 program highlights the role of art in the nation’s history.
An artist’s reception will take place from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25. Erbe will greet visitors at the event.
Erbe, of New Jersey, is a self-taught trompe l’oeil (French for “fool the eye”) painter. He conceived a way to create paintings that are more contemporary and a departure from traditional 19th-century trompe l’oeil masters.
By freeing objects from their natural surroundings with the illusion of levitation and through the juxtaposition of objects that had no relationship, he creates thought-provoking paintings. He coined the term “Levitational Realism” in 1970 and decided at that time to pursue art full time.
“Gary Erbe is an American master of contemporary trompe l’oeil painters,” said Louis Zona, emeritus director of The Butler. “This exhibition demonstrates the range of his talent.”
Larry W. Jones, interim director of the museum, said the exhibition “will leave our museum visitors in awe of the masterful techniques he has perfected over the years.”
Visitors will also be able to compare Erbe’s work to that of 19th-century tromp l’oeil painters such as John Frederick Peto, William Michael Harnett and George Cope from the museum’s permanent collection, Jones said.
The exhibition will go on the road after its time at The Butler ends. It will appear next at the Reading Public Museum in Pennsylvania from May 23 to Aug. 2, and then at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art in Indiana from Aug. 22 to Oct. 25.
An 88-page catalogue accompanies this exhibition.
Gary Erbe has been awarded an unprecedented six gold medals at Allied Artists of America annual exhibitions. He also received the Medal for Lifetime Achievement in American Art from The Butler.
Erbe has exhibited extensively since 1970 with solo exhibitions at museums and galleries throughout America, Asia and Europe and is in the permanent collection of many institutions. The Butler published a 300-page hardcover book on Erbe’s art and life titled “Footprints: The Art and Life of Gary Erbe” (2017) that is available in the museum’s gift shop and online at ButlerArt.com.
Pictured at top: This piece by Gary Erbe pays tribute to President Abraham Lincoln.