Santa Fe University Professor to Exhibit in New York Gallery

Santa Fe University Professor to Exhibit in New York Gallery

Santa Fe University artist Willy Bo Richardson’s work to appear, along with paintings by Hans Hofmann and Jackson Pollock, at Jason McCoy Gallery

04.05.2011
Media Contact:
Maria Alexandra Velez
1-443-509-5793
maria.velez@santafeuniversity.edu

Santa Fe, N.M.—April 5, 2011—The work of Willy Bo Richardson, professor of painting at Santa Fe University of Art and Design, will be on display at the Jason McCoy Gallery in New York from April 6 to May 20, 2011. The exhibition, “70 Years of Abstract Painting—Excerpts,” presents art by renowned Modernist and contemporary painters, including Josef Albers, Gene Davis, Al Held, Hans Hofmann and Jackson Pollock. Richardson’s colorist oil painting Three Muses—composed of vertical washes of orange, blue and pink hues—will be featured in the show.

“Although he’s a young artist, Willy’s commitment to his current inquiry is clear and consistent,” said Linda Swanson, chair of the university’s Art Department. “We see this in his multi-year exploration of color relationships.”
The exhibit represents a breakthrough in Richardson’s career as a working artist. “His work will be hanging next to that of the historically significant artists who inspire him,” said Swanson. “Willy’s recently completed composition will be viewed in the context of their influences, while allowing for older works to appear in a new light.”

Richardson joined the university’s Art Department in 2010. He lived and worked in New York City for a decade, where he immersed himself in the international art scene. He has held various positions at various universities, including The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. His work has been exhibited in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Hamburg and Melbourne. In 2007, he returned to his hometown of Santa Fe, where his paintings have been shown in the Center for Contemporary Arts; William Siegal Gallery; and, most recently, LaunchProjects.
Richardson holds an MFA in Painting from Pratt Institute in New York and a BA in Fine Arts from University of Texas at Austin.

About Santa Fe University of Art and Design

Santa Fe University of Art and Design, in Santa Fe. New Mexico artists provide students with a unique interdisciplinary curriculum that combines practical experience with core theory to prepare graduates to become well-rounded, creative problem-solving professionals. The curriculum is designed to inspire creativity, passion and outstanding performance in contemporary music, creative writing, performing arts, art, graphic design, moving image arts (filmmaking and video production), photography, business and education. Its location, in one of the world’s leading centers for art and design, provides a perfect setting for learning in a city where creativity and innovation are central to the community. For more information, visit santafeuniversity.edu.
Santa Fe University of Art and Design (formerly the College of Santa Fe) is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.ncahlc.org.

New Mexico Artists

O’Keeffe is one of countless modern and contemporary artists who’ve been drawn out of big-city art centers by New Mexico’s magnetic pull. They’ve been lured there by expansive vistas, quietude, and respite from cultural pressures. Prominent New Mexico artists have included Agnes Martin, Dennis Hopper, Ken Price, Larry Bell, Nancy Holt, Bruce Nauman, Richard Tuttle, Harmony Hammond, and Judy Chicago, among many others. Arts patrons, scholars, and writers—like Mabel Dodge Luhan, Willa Cather, D.H. Lawrence, and Lucy Lippard—also enjoyed New Mexico.

Download: Press release from Santa Fe University of Art and Design
Download: Press release from Jason McCoy Gallery, New York