New Exhibition Includes Two Series of Paintings Exploring the Influence of WWII and the Experience of the Cuban Revolution
Chicago, IL –(ENEWSPF)–August 4, 2016 – The National Veterans Art Museum (NVAM) announces the opening of its newest solo exhibition featuring the work of Chicago veteran artist, George Klauba. The exhibition comprises two series of paintings: Nerves on Fire: Reflections on WWII and Cuba: Rebels, Orishas & 26 Julio. Klauba’s first exhibition at NVAM will open on Friday, August 26th with a reception from 6-9 PM. NVAM Executive Director and Artist George Klauba will deliver the keynote speech.
Klauba’s work recalls the impact of witnessing the homecoming of WWII veterans and making the daily sacrifices to support the war effort on his childhood. He remembers the reverence he felt for the objects brought back from war, and the curiosity invoked by the exotic names of locations in the Pacific. These objects and stories from his childhood eventually merged with an adult understanding of the sorrow and loss experienced by both sides. Klauba masterfully illustrates these vignettes and empathetically weaves them throughout his paintings which he describes as memorials. Nerves on Fire is dedicated to the men and women who were deeply affected by the Second World War.
USS Reid, 2012
Cuba: Rebels, Orishas & 26 Julio is inspired by the indelible experiences Klauba had as a young sailor stationed in Cuba during the revolution. Klauba enlisted in the U.S. Navy and spent a month in Guantanamo Bay during one of his deployments. His personal accounts and first-hand understanding of the political atmosphere of the time lays the contextual foundation for the unique mix of factual and fantastical imagery found in this series.
In the Land of the Proletariat, 2014
Side by side these two series of paintings offer a glimpse into the way in which military service has both defined the artist’s life and driven decades of contemplation about the impact that war has had on his and others’ lives.The exhibition will be open to the public beginning with the opening reception on Friday, August 26, 2016 from 6PM to 9PM, through Saturday, October 29, 2016.
George Klauba’s Solo Exhibition is partially supported by Bank of America.
Pacific Sorrows, 2011
Oya’s Courage as Santa Theresa Bleeds, 2014
About National Veterans Art Museum
In October 1981, a group of Vietnam veterans put together an exhibition of artwork based on their war experiences. The success of the show led to the establishment of the Vietnam Veterans Art Group. Fifteen years later, with a building donated, the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum was launched. In 2003, the museum began accepting work by veterans of all conflicts and, in 2010, changed its name to the National Veterans Art Museum (NVAM). While NVAM is one of the only museums in the world to collect and exhibit artwork exclusively created by veterans in a permanent collection, it also provides important programming for veterans, their families, and the community.
For more information about the National Veterans Art Museum, visit www.nvam.org, or call 312-326-0270.
Source: http://www.nvam.org
