Robert Hudson:
The Sonoma County Years, 1977 - 2005
November 19 - April 2, 2006
The first to focus exclusively on internationally acclaimed artist Robert Hudson’s oeuvre since he moved to Sonoma County in 1977, this museum-wide survey exhibition showcases Hudson’s prolific output of the past 28 years including welded and painted steel sculptures, cast and painted bronze sculpture, three-dimensional abstract paintings,constructions, assemblages, ceramics, paintings on canvas and paper, drawings, and prints.
In his catalogue essay, curator Michael Schwager describes Hudson’s work as encompassing bright, sumptuous color, elegantly balanced hunks of welded steel adorned with antlers and all manner of odds and ends, paintings and drawings that bristle with detail, sticks and stones cast in porcelain. The exhibition includes 38 of these colorful inventive works.
In the 1960s, Hudson was connected to the spontaneous, surrealist Bay Area ‘Funk’ movement. Receiving a BFA and MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1961 and1963 respectively, Hudson’s work has, and continues to be featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout the country at venerable institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the Smithsonian, to name a few. In 1985, Hudson was honored with a retrospective at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which traveled to venues throughout the US.
The Museum celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, connecting the region’s rich history with contemporary artistic and cultural currents. On the occasion of this benchmark, mounting a show of this proportion and importance is a great honor and service to the region. Hudson’s work has been, and continues to be influenced by the people, the landscape, and the culture of his adopted home of Sonoma County. Crated Michael Schwager, Professor of Art History and Museum Studies at Sonoma State University and curator at the di Rosa Preserve. A fully-illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition.
This exhibition is generously supported by: Stuppin Fund for the Arts of the Community Foundation Sonoma County, Ann Hatch & Paul Discoe, Sonoma County Museum Board of Trustees, The Anorcase Foundation, Ron Casentini, Exchange Bank, Community Foundation Sonoma County, David & Mary Robinson, Byron Meyer, Rene di Rosa, and Diana Fuller.
