(SEA BRIGHT, NJ) -- Amelchenko Gallery presents a solo exhibition in collaboration with John Newsom Studio titled, The Shangri-La Suite and Related Works. The exhibition features ten unique limited edition artist proofs created by Newsom over the span of the past five years. The exhibition runs from July 20 - September 30, 2023 with an opening reception on Thursday, July 20 from 4:00pm-8:00pm.
John Newsom is a painter who paints bold physically charged canvases using allegories of naturalism to comment on romantic ideals of humanity. The Shangri-La Suite and Related Works demonstrates Newsom’s peak technical abilities and warmness of heart. The ten prints included in the exhibition focus on ethereal themes of light and love. A grouping of brilliantly colored macaws greet the viewer in the work titled, Good Morning, 2019. A lone dove hovers gracefully over a compost of red and pink roses in the piece titled, Fragrant Canopy, 2021. A flock of shimmering hummingbirds merge in Harmonious Convergence, 2019, and peach-faced lovebirds perched in a radiant glow focus attention in The Bright Side, 2019. These are just some of the delightful motifs to be experienced in this truly enchanting exhibition.
There is a timeless quality to Newsom’s subjects and symbolism. The painter’s dedication to forms of early Modernism is self-evident in his various juxtapositions of naturalism and hard-edge abstraction. Also, expressive moments of action painting can be observed within the various layers of information rendered in the vibrant surfaces. This is an exhibition that requires lengthy meditation and repeated viewing. We are so excited to be able to share these limited works with our public and look forward to welcoming you to the gallery this summer.
John Newsom received a BFA from The Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA from New York University. In 2022 Newsom’s work was the focus of a mid-career survey exhibition titled Nature’s Course held at The Oklahoma Contemporary Museum, Oklahoma City. In 2023 Newsom had his second institutional survey exhibition titled Universal Frontier held at The Mary R Koch Art Center (Mark Arts), Wichita, Kansas. In spring 2024, Newsom will have solo museum shows at The Brattleboro Museum, Brattleboro, VT and Kunstverein Heppenheim, Heppenheim, Germany. Newsom’s work is included in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art, NY; The Whitney Museum of American Art, NY; The Brooklyn Museum, NY; The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA; The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA; The Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT; The RISD Museum, Providence, RI; among other notable public collections.
Amelchenko Gallery is located at 1066 Ocean Avenue in Sea Bright, New Jersey.
