George Carlson – Heart of the West - Spring 2008 Issue of Horses in Art Magazine

George Carlson – Heart of the West

Rosetta Waiting – 1983, Bronze; 21 › by George Carlson. Denver Art Museum; centennial gift of the Edward D. Pierson Family.
The Denver Art Museum of Colorado features a current exhibit titled, George Carlson: Heart of the West in the Hamilton Building’s Dietler Western Art Galleries. The exhibition features the work of living artist and former Coloradoan George Carlson, considered one of the finest sculptors of western subject matter working today. He is widely known for his sensitive interpretation of animals, especially horses, in bronze. His figurative work features a number of subjects including the Tarahumara Indian tribe in Mexico, with whom he lived. Several pastel drawings from his journeys to Mexico will also be displayed.

“We think he is an artist who has stood the test of time,” says Ann Daley, Associate Curator of the Petrie Institute of Western American Art at the Denver Art Museum. “He doesn’t like to be considered a western artist, but we think he is appropriate. We’ve admired his work for a long time and think he is due an exhibition.”

George Carlson: Heart of the West features more than 35 objects from several lenders including the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis, works owned by a private Colorado collector, and items from the artist’s studio. The exhibition will be on view through April 13, 2008.

Of One Heart - 1978, by George Carlson. Bronze; 29.5.› Denver Art Museum; funds from the Contemporary Realism Group.

In addition, George Carlson’s work is highlighted in the latest issue of Western Passages, published by the Petrie Institute of Western American Art at the Denver Art Museum. Heart of the West: New Painting and Sculpture of the American West includes essays on George Carlson, collecting Western American art, the Museum’s Contemporary Realism Group, artist-explorers and the western landscape.

For more information about the George Carlson exhibit, visit www.denverartmuseum.org and to view the sculpture of George Carlson go to www.georgecarlson.com.

George Carlson
"Born in 1940, George Carlson began drawing seriously just a few short years later, at age seven. He went on to study at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the University of Arizona, and he received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from the University of Idaho in 1999.

Primarily a sculptor, he says, ‘From the first touch, sculpting has proven to be one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life.’ He proves this through his personal attachment to his work." — The National Museum of Wildlife Art www.wildlifeart.org

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