Gabriela Monterroso
Last December we opened a new exhibition inspired by Jonathan P. Jackson's idea on a 'salon style’ show. We invited 33 professional artists that had been in our radar to submit small work and the results are extraordinary. All the artists are based in Houston or Austin and this is really a remarkable compilation that will introduce you to hidden gems of the arts in Texas. Visit the show and take some time to immerse yourself in this collection. Step in and look into each artist’s world, then step back and see them all together. In the words of the curator: “This is a scavenger’s hunt"
The show is on view until January 15, 2022
Curator’s Statement:
A brief History of Salon, The “Salon-Style Hang” is a method of hanging and displaying paintings that originated in 1667 with the beginning of the annual Royal Academy salon in Paris. The major entertainment events of the year, salons were juried showcases exhibiting the best of the best work of the year, by both students of the Royal Academy and by established masters. Because so many works were to be crammed into the exhibitions, walls were hung floor-to-ceiling with paintings on many scales and of many different genres. Usually the largest paintings with the grandest subject matter (history and religion) were hung highest on the wall, while more intimately-scaled work like still-lifes were hung at eye-level or below. Soon Salons were seen all over Paris and opened the door to not only students but also to "not professional" artist and this gave us the first glimpses of what we would come to call the Impressionists. Salons today Fast Forward to today and Salons or salon style hanging is seen everywhere, from Institutions to our very own homes.! It's a way to display all of our favorite works in our own art collections. Institutions salon hanging shows, show us how some artworks are very similar or very very different. With this particular salon exhibition my intent is for viewers to examine both similarities and differences of these artist, each artist has their own distinct voice and style, but in the Salon their individual voices come together for a conversation that is very cohesive Jonathan P. Jackson Curator