Athens, Ga. – The Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia will present the exhibition “Living Color: Gary Hudson in the 1970s” from Sept. 17 through Jan. 8. The exhibition, organized by Sarah Kate Gillespie, curator of American art, will consist of nine large-scale abstract paintings by the artist, including one in the museum’s collection.
Hudson received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale University in the 1960s and studied there with famed artist and teacher Hans Hofmann. In the late 1970s, Hudson created works of lyrical abstraction. In contrast to minimalism, the lyrical abstractionists took a looser, more painterly approach to abstract art. Hudson experimented with the importance of color and line in composition. Sometimes he soaked cloth with paint, then pulled it across a canvas, allowing color to saturate the surface randomly.
“This exhibition offers us the opportunity to appreciate and examine a pivotal moment in Hudson’s career,” Gillespie said. “With these works, we can clearly see the legacy of both abstract expressionism and minimalism, but also how the artist took these movements and reshaped them in new ways in the 1970s.”
In 2002, Hudson moved to Madison, Georgia and continued to produce abstract paintings, which he exhibited regularly. He died in 2009 and is survived by his widow, Christie Hudson, who still lives in Madison. His works are in public collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the San Diego Museum of Fine Arts as well as in many private collections.
Related events include 90 Carlton: Autumn, the museum’s quarterly reception ($5 or free for members) on Sept. 16 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.; a Family Day on Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to noon; a Teen Studio with local artist Kristen Bach on Nov. 3 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (free but registration required via 706-542-8863 or callan@uga.edu); and a public tour on Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated.
Museum Information
Partial support for the exhibition and programs at the Georgia Museum of Art is provided by the Georgia Council for the Arts through appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. The council is a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Individuals, foundations and corporations provide additional museum support through their gifts to the University of Georgia Foundation. The Georgia Museum of Art is located in the Performing and Visual Arts Complex on UGA’s East Campus. The address is 90 Carlton St., Athens, GA, 30602-1502. For more information, including hours, see georgiamuseum.org or call 706-542-4662.
