Press Room --

Meet the Artist: John Himmelfarb at Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery

LOCKPORT, IL— On Sunday, December 2, 2012, visitors have the opportunity to meet Illinois artist John Himmelfarb and to listen to a presentation about his work.  In addition, John will share insights into the work of his father, artist Samuel Himmelfarb, whose work is also part of the exhibition. Mr. Himmelfarb’s presentation will begin at 2:00 pm and last approximately one hour.  This free Meet the Artist event is part of the Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery’s Sunday Series of programs which accompany our current exhibition Figurism: Narrative and Fantastic Figurative Art from the Illinois State Museum Collection.  Reservations are not required to attend this free event, though seating is limited; doors open at noon on Sunday to view the current exhibition. 

John Himmelfarb was born in Chicago to artists Samuel and Eleanor Himmelfarb—each of whom attained their own successes—and raised in Winfield, Illinois.  His father, Samuel, was very much a role model and the influences of both parents were key to his decision to become an artist.  Long known for his independence and originality, John Himmelfarb works with a diverse visual vocabulary to create prints, paintings and drawings that nod to multiple modernist tendencies. Himmelfarb has exhibited nationally since 1968, the year of his graduation from Harvard.  He has received many honors and commissions during his over 40 year career and his work is held in numerous public and private collections.

Figurism: Narrative and Fantastic Figurative Art from the Illinois State Museum Collection (thru April 19, 2013) brings together historical and contemporary artwork of more than fifty artists that emphasizes the power and the range of the narrative and expressive figure in Midwest art. The artworks in the exhibition demonstrate the many artistic styles which adhere to representation yet still capture feeling, experience, memory, and time.  Many lean towards the fantastic, with a heightened sense of the super-real and super-natural.  The work by more than fifty artists represented in Figurism reflect the range of styles, and variety of media, and the richness of figurative art created in the Midwest over the last century.

Three additional public events are scheduled for Sundays during the exhibition, including an opportunity to meet artist Judith Raphael who will present on Sunday, March 3, 2013.  On Sunday, January 13, Jennifer Jaskowiak, ISMLG Curator of Art, will present a lecture on “Figuring Women.”  And on February 10, 2013, Jim L. Zimmer, ISM Director for Art and History, will speak on “The Figure in New Deal Art.”  All events will begin at 2:00 pm and are free to the public.  Reservations are not required, but seating is limited.