The Arthur Roger Gallery is pleased to present Through the Valley, an exhibition of recent sculpture by internationally-known glass sculptor Gene Koss. The exhibition will be on view at Arthur Roger Gallery, located at 432 Julia Street, from August 4–September 22, 2018. The gallery will host an opening reception with the artist in attendance, Saturday, August 4 from 6 to 9 pm in conjunction with the Hancock Whitney White Linen Night.
Through the Valley features recent sculpture by renowned glass artist Gene Koss that reveal evolutions of earlier themes as well as new. This show features pieces ranging from the four-ton sixteen-foot-long showpiece in the main gallery to the seven-foot piece Oakville Levee Wall, to a series of smaller abstract expressionist carved glass drawings, to the sketchbooks that capture the genesis of the inspiration.
The sixteen-foot featured sculpture anchoring Koss’ seventeenth exhibition with the gallery offers the visitor a stark, quiet, reflective experience. “I have always wanted to create a piece that one can enter, contemplate, and have a quiet moment”, said Koss. When the viewer steps between the parallel walls of corten steel, Koss hopes the viewer will look up through the 350 blocks of cast glass and enjoy the elegant quietness. Koss and a team of six worked for three years to complete this piece. The main piece is a slight departure from the way Koss generally creates his monumental works. While most pieces come from site-specific inspiration, this piece came from a higher plane.
This piece is symbolic of the trials and tribulations of life. You have to walk through the valley of life—the tough times and the joyous ones.
Gene Koss received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin at River Falls in 1974. He then earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Tyler School of Art, Temple University, in Philadelphia. In 1976, he moved to New Orleans to develop a new glass facility and program for Tulane University, and subsequently became head of the department. Since that time he has been greatly involved in the development of the city's glass artistry and is known for developing one of the most important programs in North America. He is the recipient of several awards including the National Endowment for the Arts, The New Orleans Community Arts Board and Pace-Willson Art Foundation grants. His work has been exhibited at the New Orleans Museum of Art; the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans; the Masur Museum of Art in Monroe, Louisiana; the Sculpture Center in New York City; as well as the International Biennale for Contemporary Art in Florence, Italy. His work is in many prominent collections including the Pan American Life Collection in New Orleans and the Corning Museum of Glass in New York.
For more information please contact the Arthur Roger Gallery at 504.522.1999 or visit our website at arthurrogergallery.com.
