(MORRISTOWN, NJ) -- The Morris Museum will present a survey exhibition of the work of beloved New Jersey artist and educator, W. Carl Burger. Entitled "W. Carl Burger - The Urge To Paint," the show will be on view from February 18 through March 27 of this year. An Opening Reception will be held on Thursday, February 18 at 6:30PM and is free to the public.

Bringing together some thirty paintings, "W. Carl Burger - The Urge to Paint" will include representative examples of the work Burger has created over the past seven decades. The exhibition will highlight the artist's interest in landscape and nature, his investigation of architectural forms, and his dramatic recent works on paper. Many of the featured paintings were inspired by the landscape of western New Jersey. The exhibition is drawn from the artist's own collection, private collections, and the collection of Morris Museum.

"The Morris Museum is proud to celebrate the artistry of Carl Burger," said Linda Moore, Executive Director. "Through this exhibition, the Museum continues its longstanding tradition of spotlighting the creativity and talents of New Jersey artists."

Born in Germany in 1925, Burger moved to New Jersey as a young child. He began his career as an Abstract Expressionist and was awarded the Bamburger Exhibition of Contemporary New Jersey Art Award in 1960. Burger then shifted his focus to nature and landscape, particularly through the medium of watercolor. In the 1970s and 1980s, he turned to an investigation of architectural forms and most recently he has been creating dramatic paintings depicting the industrial landscape of New Jersey. Burger studied art at New York University, Columbia University and Rutgers University and was a faculty member at Kean University for forty years. During his long career, his work has been shown at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the National Academy of Design in New York, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Locally, he has exhibited at the Morris Museum, the Newark Museum, the Montclair Art Museum, and the New Jersey State Museum.  

About the Morris Museum

Founded in 1913, the Morris Museum is an award-winning, community-based arts and cultural institution which serves the public through high caliber exhibitions in the arts, sciences and humanities.  The Museum also offers educational programs, family events, and is home to the Bickford Theatre and its wide range of performing arts offerings. Continuously serving the public since 1913, the Morris Museum has been designated a Major Arts Institution and has received the New Jersey State Council on the Arts’ Citation of Excellence, among other awards. The first museum in New Jersey to be accredited, the Morris Museum was re-accredited in 2013 by the American Alliance of Museums.

The Museum is located at 6 Normandy Heights Road (at the corner of Columbia Turnpike) in Morristown, NJ, and is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 11:00am to 5:00pm and Sunday, 12:00 to 5:00pm. In addition, the Museum is open evenings from 5:00 to 8:00pm on the second and third Thursday of the month. Admission to the Museum is $10 for adults and $7 for children, students and senior citizens. Admission is always free for Museum members.  For more information, call (973) 971-3700, or visit www.morrismuseum.org.