July 5 – July 13, 2024
Born Naked: 32nd Annual Naked Show and Art Sale
Harcourt House Artist Run Centre
Art Education Room #1, ANNEX Building, 10211 – 112 Street, Edmonton
Opening Reception: July 5th, 7 – 10 pm
Free admission
“Born Naked”
Over the centuries, the human body has been a favoured subject for artists. Ranging from providing a record of a specific person’s appearance to a focus on social critique, the possibilities of working with the human body are endless. The current landscape of contemporary figurative art is particularly strong, not only due to the commercial market for it, but perhaps more so the way that artists are portraying people in response to salient topics and issues of the 21st century – from race, gender, and war, to privacy, social media, and love. One of the main reasons behind this recent resurgence of the exhibitions of figurative art is that after nearly two years of isolation, people want to see people.
“Born Naked” embraces the rich conceptual diversity of stylistic and formalistic approaches to the aspect of human form. Featuring drawings, paintings, and sculpture from Harcourt’s Drawing Classes with Live Model and from Harcourt’s tenant artists, the exhibition allows the viewers to contemplate the beauty and complexity of the human body from the perspective of several stylistic directions in the history of visual culture, ranging from Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism through Cubism and Expressionism to semi-abstract forms and multi-media compositions, and to explore the emotional and social implications of representing the human figure.
This exhibition doubles as a fundraiser for Harcourt House with a 30% of each artwork sold in support of the Harcourt House Endurable Fund (Acquisition of Harcourt House Property), and 70% will be designated to the artists.
The exhibition “Born Naked” offers a great opportunity for seasoned and novice art collectors. These exemplary works – in a variety of styles and media – are a “must have” additions to your growing art collection. For novice art collectors, this is an opportunity to start building your own collection of impressive works by Alberta-based artists.
With Your Support Today, There Will Be Harcourt House Tomorrow!
Exhibition curators: E. Ross Bradley, Bonnie Bigley, and Darren Kooyman
Top Image: Daniel Tansy, “yellow Datsun,”(image adjusted) 2024, coloured lead and digital drawing
Courtesy of the artist
