Artist: Joe Ledbetter
Place: Corey Helford Gallery
Opening Reception: June 4, 2010 from 7‑10pm
On View: June 4 – June 23, 2010
Website: coreyhelfordgallery.com
This June, join iconic Los Angeles artist Joe Ledbetter for the highly-anticipated debut of "Magnus Maximus". A solo exhibition of different stripes, “Magnus Maximus” is an epic travel adventure based on Ledbetter’s journeys through Europe and beyond.
For his first solo show at Corey Helford Gallery, Ledbetter creates an extraordinary collection of new paintings and drawings, filled with engaging narratives and bold visuals that are as autobiographical as they are a classic hero story. A true tale of wretched victory, “Magnus Maximus” is a character study in twists of fate and fortune, power and privilege. Continue for more after the jump:
Recognized worldwide for his combinations of cute and cuddly creatures with unfortunate — albeit humorous — situations, Ledbetter takes his work to new heights for the exhibition. Pushing his craftsmanship and design aesthetic further than before, he employs a lighter color palette of pure whites and pale hues on blonde wood panels, and he introduces baroque embellishments, inspired old world European architecture and design.
For "Magnus Maximus", Ledbetter’s artistic career culminates in an unforgettable body of new work, which he explains “represents an artistic odyssey. The preparation for all my solo exhibitions have been journeys in their own right, ripe with adversaries, angels, self-doubt, sacrifice, bliss, despair, hope, stress, rapture, joy, shame, blood, sweat and tears. But the Magnus Maximus art journey went well beyond any previous show.
For me, it has cumulatively epitomized everything I’ve been working toward for the past 9 years as a painter. Personal narrative, sardonic or humorous undertones, familiar scenarios, strong shadowed bold lines, bright colors, limited palette, and hopefully great characters one can sympathize and fall in love with.”
Open to the public, the reception for “Magnus Maximus” will take place on Friday, June 4 from 7 to 10pm, and the show will be exhibited until June 23, 2010.
