OCEANVILLE (GALLOWAY TWP.), NJ –The Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton University presents WPA Artist Michael Lenson: Art History Lecture on October 7, from 11:00am – 12:00pm. The lecture will be presented at the museum by Barry Lenson, the artist’s son, and Kate Ogden, Professor of Art History at Stockton University. The lecture is in conjunction with the exhibition A Humanist Vision: The Paintings and Drawings of Michael Lenson (1903-1971) on view from October 2, 2015 through January 17, 2016.
Admission fees: $5 for adults, $4 for students and seniors; free for Stockton Faculty/Students/Staff.
For more information call (609) 652-8848 or visit www.noyesmuseum.org.
Michael Lenson (1903-1971) was a noted American Social Realist painter and Works Progress Administration (WPA) muralist. He believed that art should serve a human purpose. Families, laborers, lovers, triumphs and tragedies – all were subject matter for his work. His paintings combine surrealism, cubism, and social critique to create interesting compositions of color and form. As a WPA artist he became one of the Federal Art Project’s most accomplished muralists. These remarkable murals still grace the walls of many public buildings in New Jersey today.
Now, more than 40 years after his death, his work is gaining recognition and major American museums and prominent collectors own his meticulously crafted paintings. Summarizing his artwork, Who Was Who in American Art called him “New Jersey's most important muralist.”
Born in Russia in 1903, Lenson emigrated with his family to America in 1911. While a student at the National Academy of Design in New York in 1928, he won the Chaloner Prize to study in London and Paris where his works were shown in several important venues. In the 1930s he became involved in the WPA, leading many Federal Art Projects. Over the years, Lenson painted some of New Jersey’s most memorable works of public art, including History of the Enlightenment of Man (Weequahic High School, Newark, extant) and the immense multi-panel History of Newark (Newark City Hall, extant), as well as smaller works around the state.
Lenson continued painting in his studio in Nutley, New Jersey and after the Depression he led a successful academic career and had a series of exhibitions in New York galleries. He was also a champion of New Jersey art. Working as art critic for the Newark Sunday News for 16 years, his weekly Realm of Art column won him praise from scholar William Gerdts as “New Jersey’s most distinguished art critic.”
The Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton University is located one and a half miles south of Historic Smithville Village, off of Route 9, at 733 Lily Lake Road, Oceanville, New Jersey, 08231 (Galloway Twp.).
Hours: Monday through Saturday 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM; Sunday noon to 5:00 PM; Closed on major holidays. Admission fees: $5 for adults, $4 for students and seniors; free for Stockton Faculty/Students/Staff. View all upcoming exhibitions and events at www.noyesmuseum.org.
