Works by Tucson artist Andy Burgess will be on display at the Tucson Museum of Art beginning next month. The exhibit, “Mid-Century Perspectives: Paintings by Andy Burgess and Objects of Modern Design,” will run through April 22.
Burgess, who grew up in a Jewish family in North London’s Golders Green neighborhood, is known for precise drawings, paintings and photographs of urban landscapes developed over the last 20 years.
“Andy Burgess brings a unique perspective and interpretation of mid-century architecture in the Southwest,” says Julie Sasse, Ph.D., chief curator and curator of modern, contemporary, and Latin American art at the museum. “His work is saturated with vibrant color and the dramatic light of the American Southwest.”
Burgess has traveled the world while living and working in Great Britain, Spain, Washington, D.C. and New York. He moved to Tucson in 2009.
One of Burgess’s most important influences is American architectural photographer Julius Shulman, who was known for his iconic images of mid-century modern architecture created between the late 1940s and 1960s, including buildings designed by noted architects Frank Lloyd Wright, Raphael Soriano, Richard Neutra, Charles Eames and Pierre Koenig. In his new surroundings in Arizona, Burgess is in close proximity to a number of buildings designed by Wright.
Included in the exhibition is a selection of designed objects and furniture by Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles and Ray Eames, Harry Bertoia, Rose Cabat and others that captures the spirit and essence of the period that inspires Burgess’s work. In his compositions, Burgess often includes a strategically placed object or piece of furniture, hinting at the human occupation of the architectural model.
The exhibition kicks off Feb. 1 in conjunction with the museum’s monthly program, Free First Thursdays! There will be a selection of mid-century cars organized by Alex Mastrangelo and furniture vignettes from AZModern, live music by Jazz Pyramid Scheme, a cash bar, art making, and in-gallery activities. The event is open from 5-8 p.m.
