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Friday, May 15, 2009

Long View's Mary Chiaramonte Show Opens Tomorrow

The Long View Gallery's latest exhibition is of new works by celebrated artist Mary Chiaramonte. Entitled "Haunted," this really neat show opens tomorrow night with a reception from 7 to 9pm and runs through June 13. From the press release:

Washington, D.C. – [April 22, 2009] – The Long View Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of new works by Virginia artist Mary Chiaramonte entitled “Haunted.” Mary Chiaramonte grew up in rural West Virginia. With little social interaction beyond her immediate family, Mary spent her days drawing and painting. Her isolation as a child created a fascination with the lives of others that fill her artwork to this day.

Mary’s works are studies of people with whom she is connected, be they friends, family or characters from a song. She tells their stories through painted snapshots. For Mary, the eyes are not the windows to the soul; instead, her soulful work is characterized by figures with no faces but as forms to be studied and felt. Much of Mary’s work is, in-part, selfportraiture: she uses the narratives of her subjects to help translate events of her own life, allowing her an added connection to the paintings. By hiding the most recognizable feature of her subjects, their faces, the works become less about a specific person and more about a universal feeling or experience, allowing each of us to place ourselves in that space. Mary’s ability to capture emotion through the human form gives her otherwise haunting “headless” figures a relatable quality.

Mary’s work is held in public and private collections across the United States. She has exhibited throughout the east coast, including visits to the Affordable Art Fair in NYC and several solo shows in Washington, D.C. Mary has been written up in several local publications, including The Washington Post, The Eye Magazine and Art Buzz.
I love Mary Chiaramonte's work (we bought a piece last year) and am excited for this show.


The Long View Gallery
1302 9th Street, NW
202.232.4788

2 comments:

ML said...

Sounds cool.

What's up with the "for lease" banner in front of Longview? Is that for one of the apartments/spaces upstairs?

Shaw Rez said...

ML -- the banner is for the retail space, which is available August 1. A (very good) announcement for the gallery and Shaw should be coming any day now. I'm chomping at the bit to post something, but am waiting until it's official.