John Grabach: 'Century Man' at the Georgia Museum of Art

Monday, 16 April 2007 00:01

ATHENS, GA - John Grabach: Century Man, an exhibition spotlighting the works of a dynamic American painter, will be on view at the Georgia Museum of Art from July 21 through Sept. 16, 2007.  Grabach’s work focuses on varied views of the American city from neighborhood life to its urban centers.  He possessed a strong spirit of nationalism and attempted to portray life at a period in American history which, though difficult due to the Great Depression and the coming winds of World War II, appears today as a romantic adventure.

This exhibition will highlight drawings, watercolors and paintings, many of which have not been seen in more than 60 years.

Grabach was born in Greenfield, Mass., in 1880 and moved to Newark, New Jersey in 1881.  Grabach expressed an interest in art at a very early age, using the windows in his house as his first canvas.  He would trace outlines of birds he’d see through the glass.  By his early 20s, Grabach had already achieved considerable success for his work, but would find his greatest inspiration when he moved into a studio in New York City overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge.  The sometimes bleak, somewhat seamy side of city life fueled a growing interest in urban life as a subject for his paintings.

Grabach worked extensively in oil and watercolor, approaching the two mediums with energy and inventiveness.  It was in the latter he would produce ambitious and successful works that focus on the urban and industrial settings of the city.

His work served as a mild expression of social modernism in a time when protest art was on the rise and America was moving in a new direction.  He would produce some large exhibition paintings that provide social commentary on the uncertain times between the two world wars.  Although Grabach is best known for his urban paintings, done in a style reminiscent of the work of George Bellows, he also created a significant body of work inspired by the winter landscape of New England.

This exhibition was organized by the Butler Institute of Art with Paul Manoguerra, curator of American art at the Georgia Museum of Art, handling in-house curatorial duties.  John Grabach: Century Man is generously sponsored by YellowBook USA, the W. Newton Morris Charitable Foundation and the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art.

Museum Information

Partial support for the exhibitions 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 Arch Foundation and the University of Georgia foundation.  The Georgia Museum of Art is located in the Performing and Visual Arts Complex on the East Campus of the University of Georgia.  The address is 90 Carlton Street, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 30602. Visit : www.uga.edu/gamuseum