Local news- Press Release
Muscatine Iowa - Havlicek series on Iowa s seasonal changes on exhibit at Art Center 23 May 2022 ( news )
Muscatine , state Iowa ( By Press Release office)
May 23,2022
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MUSCATINE , Iowa
– Selections from the series “The Sanctuary of the Sun: Seasons and Time” will be on exhibit in the historic house at the Muscatine Art Center June 2 through September 11 , 2022 .
The artist William Havlicek describes his series as “a poetic eulogy to Iowa’s seasonal changes , ochre harvests , russet woods and silent streams . ”
In the early 1970s , Havlicek , a Cedar Rapids native , had one of his first museum shows at what was then known as the Laura Musser Museum . While he currently lives in California , the artist has deep roots in Iowa . He also explains that “Iowa has left deep roots in me . ”
The implied landscape forms and colors that are the foundation of Havlicek’s work originated in the eloquent Iowa landscape . The title for the exhibition was taken from Psalm 19 and its sacred celebration of the sun and the life that flourishes under its radiant light .
After graduation from Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids , Havlicek enrolled at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design ( MCAD ) where he earned a BFA degree in painting . During his junior year of college , he completed a foreign exchange program in Haarlem , Netherlands at Atelier ’63 , an international Dutch art program that attracted celebrated artists such as Eva Hesse .
The year in Holland planted the seed for an area of interest that eventually resulted in the book , V
an Gogh ' s Untold Journey
, published in 2010 , and an upcoming three - volume set Havlicek is co - authoring about Van Gogh ' s sister - in - law Johanna Van Gogh Bonger and her key role in bringing his art and letters to the world .
After graduation from MCAD , Havlicek was drafted and worked as an Army psychiatric orderly at Tripler Military Hospital in Honolulu , Hawaii . While on leave , he toured Japan and the Hawaiian Islands . He attended the University of Hawaii at its renowned East/West Center , taking courses in Asian and Islamic art and studying the superb collection at the Honolulu Academy of Art .
Following his military tour , Havlicek enrolled in graduate school at the University of Iowa , earning MA and MFA degrees in painting and art history . As a student , he lived in Kolona , Iowa , in an Amish community and worked part - time as a field hand . His studio was located on the second story of a 19th - century farm house and was immersed in the constant change of seasons on view through the tall windows opening onto massive clouds , wild flowers , dense thickets , and woods .
Graduate school also afforded professional participation in group shows at Laura Musser Museum , Des Moines Art Center , The University of Iowa Art Museum , and Cedar Rapids Art Museum .
Academic life at MCAD , the University of Iowa , and later a doctoral program at Claremont Graduate University meant learning from prominent art historians and artists including Josef Albers , Harold Rosenburg , Roberto Matta , Christo , Esteve Vincente , and many others . A dissertation , and later a book , on Van Gogh were the fruit of Havlicek’s doctoral studies . A full - time professorship at Laguna College of Art and Design and a key role in their Summer Abroad Program afforded absorbing hours in great European museums and helped clarify his vision as an artist .
Havlicek’s exhibition history spans over 40 years with numerous group and one - man shows in: Santiago , Chile; New York; cities in California; cities in Iowa; Tennessee; Hawaii , Washington State; Minnesota; Bermuda , etc . His work has earned major commissions , reviews , and multiple articles . His paintings are included in over 100 collections both public and private .
The public is invited to meet Havlicek on Thursday , June 2
nd
from 5:00 to 6:00 p . m . Admission is free of charge for the reception and to visit the exhibition during regular museum hours through September 11 , 2022 .
The Muscatine Art Center is located at 1314 Mulberry Avenue in Muscatine , Iowa . Hours are Tuesday , Wednesday , and Friday from 10:00 a . m . to 5:00 p . m . , Thursday evenings until 7:00 p . m . , and Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00 p . m . Admission is free . Donations are appreciated .
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