Jersey City, NJ.- Over the past four decades, prominent SoHo art dealers Louis K. Meisel and his wife, Susan, have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of collecting and have amassed upwards of 150 distinct collections containing more than 10,000 items. While their collections are comprised of objects of a most varied nature (including some of the largest and most thorough collections of antique gambling devices, player pianos, tin toys, Art Deco pottery and even beech trees) a particular emphasis has been placed on contemporary art, in particular, Photorealism, for which Louis K. Meisel coined the term in the late 1960s. From September 18th through January 2012, the Eileen S. Kaminsky Foundation and Mana Art Center will present highlights from the Meisels’ personal art collection.
“Our Own Directions: Works from the Louis K. and Susan P. Meisel Collection” assembles Photorealist paintings, photographs and sculpture from 1968 to the present day. The exhibition will feature the work of 38 artists including founding members of the Photorealist movement Richard Estes, Ralph Goings, Chuck Close, Charles Bell, Audrey Flack, Don Eddy, Robert Bechtle and as well as their contemporary counterparts such as Roberto Bernardi, sculptor John DeAndrea, Raphaella Spence, Bertrand Meniel and Yigal Ozeri. The exhibition will also feature key works from the Meisels’ collection of Abstract Illusionism from the mid-1970s, which fuses hard-edge and expressionistic abstract painting styles that employed the use of perspective, artificial light sources, and simulated cast shadows to achieve the trompe l’oeil illusion of 3D space on a 2D surface. The work of 20th century Pin-up illustrators such as Gil Elvgren, George Petty and Alberto Vargas will be presented as well as a selection of paintings by Pop artist Mel Ramos, whose work serves as the collections’ bridge between the American figuration of the Pin-up movement to the Photorealism of today. “Our collecting is an intellectual pursuit,” said Louis K. Meisel. “We are not part of the herd. We do not collect to gain status nor for investment… It’s a life’s work and recreation.”
The Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation (ESKFF) was founded in 2009 as an alternative channel through which the exhibiting of works from private contemporary art collections and the presentation of enriching programs for the community may be organized and executed. Inspired by her own experience as a collector, Eileen S. Kaminsky set out to create the foundation as a way to connect artists, collectors, galleries and cultural institutions. On May 15th 2011, the foundation opened the Mana Contemporary Art Center. In addition to being the new home of The Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation and Trinkhalle Restaurant, the 125,000 square foot center brings together artist studios, performance and exhibition spaces, and cutting edge art storage facilities, all under one roof. With over 6,000 square feet of pristine exhibition space in the center, The Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation will show a selection of works from their collection of contemporary art in the opening exhibition.
The ESKFF intends to place and showcase three contemporary art exhibitions each year at the Mana. Mana Contemporary is an immaculate, spacious, up-to-date fine and decorative arts storage facility, providing a broad range of ancillary services to those who own and care for works of art—collectors, foundations, estates and galleries. Mana keeps abreast of innovations in collection management—the technology, materials and handling techniques to deliver museum-standard care of art collections. Through their partnership with the Eileen Kaminsky Family Foundation, they offer a venue where collectors, critics and artists can hold exhibitions and both formal and informal events to discuss art of our time. Visit the Mana website at … http://www.artmanafest.com
