Staten Island Museum Hosts Cynthia von Buhler's " Show & Tell "

Tuesday, 10 April 2007 13:12

Staten Island, New York – On Friday, April 27, the Staten Island Museum will unveil Cynthia von Buhler: Show & Tell.  The surreal three-dimensional works blend Renaissance inspired portraiture and messianic figures with natural objects.  Cynthia von Buhler’s enigmatic paintings impart their meaning through symbol, design, and narrative.  In von Buhler’s art, butterflies, snakes, birds, and plants are set into cages, boxes, and peepholes to serve as metaphors for the human condition.  The layered gouache paintings and their sculptural, performance, and audio accoutrements are at once poignant and mischievous. Show and Tell is akin to a trip down an ornate rabbit hole.  On exhibition April 27, 2007 – June 17, 2007.

Cynthia von Buhler states: “I am a story teller who enjoys revealing the hidden.  We all have our outward stories of who we are, how we make our living, what we wear, how we want to be perceived - but what truly interests me are the stories we normally choose not to tell.”  Her work focuses on three-dimensional using objects such as insects, fruit, or frog skeletons dangle provocatively in shadowy recesses.  Live and taxidermy birds can be found seated in cages within the pieces, demonstrating trapped emotions.

The exhibit will include sculpted characters and press proofs from von Buhler’s recent children’s book, The Cat Who Wouldn’t Come Inside.  The children’s book was released by Houghton Mifflin in September 2006.  The book was chosen as “Best of 2006” by Parent & Child and was a “Booksense Pick for Winter/Spring 2006/2007”.

Cynthia von Buhler is an internationally exhibiting visual artist, illustrator and author living in New York City.  Her work has appeared on the covers of New York Arts, New York’s Gallery Guide, Communication Arts, Step by Step Graphics, The Boston Globe, The Boston Phoenix, and many other publications.

Ms. von Buhler has won the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals at the Society of Illustrators Los Angeles, and the Gold Medal from the Visual Club.  Her work has been published frequently in the Society of Illustrators Annual, Communications Arts Illustration Annual, and American Illustration, each of which feature the best and most cutting-edge illustration in the country.

Cynthia von Buhler Artist’s Talk will be held on Sunday, May 6^th at 2:00 p.m. Von Buhler’s Renaissance inspired portraits hold hidden secrets, butterflies, snakes, and birds---while cages and peepholes serve as mischievous metaphors.  The Artist’s Talk is part of the Artists/Ideas Series: Supported by JP Morgan Chase.

For now 125 years, the Staten Island Museum (Staten Island Institute of Arts & Sciences) has been fostering and sustaining scientific and cultural heritage on Staten Island.  Founded in 1881, New York City's only general interest museum explores the arts, natural science, and local history through permanent and changing exhibitions and welcomes over 65,000 adults and school children to a comprehensive array of programs. 

The Museum’s History Archives & Library is open to the public by appointment and houses a large collection of Staten Island related materials, including 55,000 photos, 6,600 postcards, 3,100 maps, and 15,000 books.  Photographic reproduction and research services are available for those who are unable to visit.  For more information visit website at : www.statenislandmuseum.org