Press release

The Baldwin Gallery is pleased to present new sculpture by acclaimed contemporary artist George Stoll. Known for his visual exploration of objects from everyday life and popular culture, the artist focuses on favorite American holidays in his current show. Since Stoll began making the holiday series in 1994, his sculptures have evolved from replicas of festive accessories into more conceptual works. The artist seeks the most evocative aspect of each celebration and connects it with the viewer’s personal memories. A fully-illustrated catalogue, featuring an essay by distinguished arts writer Linda Yablonsky, accompanies the exhibition.

Working with a variety of media including plaster, cheesecloth, silk organza and paint, George Stoll creates unique interpretations of porch flags, Easter eggs, Thanksgiving dinner platters and Christmas lights. These colorful sculptures conjure up the magic of childhood beliefs in Santa Claus and other fantasy figures. Distortions such as bashed-in Halloween masks and vernacular vocabulary are important to this series. During a recent artist’s residency at the American Academy in Rome, Stoll was inspired to make the Valentine’s Day pieces. His exploration of erotic love became manifest in a bowl filled with breasts, inspired by the abundance of ancient fertility goddesses and the primal love between mother and child. Individual experiences intertwine with the larger overlay of national celebrations, resulting in a distinctive visual analysis of holiday themes.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1954, George Stoll lives and works in Los Angeles. His art is found in such public collections as the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, Brandeis University-Rose Art Museum, University of Washington-Henry Art Gallery, Seattle Art Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

Also showing at the Baldwin Gallery will be Girlfriend!, a series of photographs by David Levinthal, featuring glamorous Barbie imagery. Mattel Inc. commissioned the artist to make portraits of Barbie adorned in stylish mid-twentieth century fashions. Using a nine-foot Polaroid Land camera, Levinthal created limited-edition photographs of these classic dolls, as documented in the book Barbie Millicent Roberts: An Original.

Originally from San Francisco, David Levinthal lives and works in New York City. He holds degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University and Stanford University. His photographs are found in numerous prestigious collections including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Centre Pompidou in Paris; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Museum of Modern Art in New York; the National Gallery of New Zealand in Wellington; and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Images are available upon request. Please call 970.920.9797 for further information.