Opening Reception at NSU Art Museum
Saturday, April 13, 2024
5:30 – 7 pm
Free for Members | $25 For Non-Members
Exhibition and VIP Preview Reception sponsored by
The Sansom Foundation, Inc.
“Full of humor and imagination, they flowed from his [Louis Glackens] pencil like water from a tap. Like Shakespeare he never blotted a line.” -Ira Glackens
Until now, the life and work of artist Louis M. Glackens (b.1866, Philadelphia, PA, d. 1933, Jersey City, NJ) has been relegated to an aside within the narrative of his younger brother, Ashcan School artist William J. Glackens. While both brothers “drew in the cradle” – a compulsion that stayed with them throughout their lives – it seems that Louis Glackens had the misfortune of being “born too soon”.
Louis Glackens was a trailblazing figure who became one of the first illustrators of animated cartoons from 1915-1920, creating characters for production houses such as Baré, Pathe and Sullivan Studios. His fantastical depictions of mermaids, anthropomorphic beasts and pie-faced grown-ups carved a path for what would become the wonderful world of Walt Disney. Regrettably, Louis Glackens was out of step with the fashion of his time and bared the curse of the avant-garde. As such, his vast contribution to the history of cartoons has remained largely unexplored. This exhibition seizes the opportunity to reevaluate Louis Glackens’ cultural contributions through the gift of hindsight and wealth of illustrations generously gifted to the Museum by The Sansom Foundation, Inc.
Like his brother William, Louis Glackens had a discerning eye through which he observed the human condition. However, while his brother was rooted in the realism of the Ashcan School, Louis Glackens chose to deliver his take on reality through a more fable-like world, in which the absurdity of life was captured through an economy of line and an abundance of wit.
This exhibition was curated by NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale’s Bryant-Taylor Curator, Ariella Wolens.
Major support for NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale is provided by the David and Francie Horvitz Family Foundation Endowment, the City of Fort Lauderdale, Jerry Taylor and Nancy Bryant Foundation, Broward County Cultural Division, the Cultural Council, and the Broward County Board of County Commissioners, Lillian S. Wells Foundation, Community Foundation of Broward, the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts, Wege Foundation, Beaux Arts, Delia Moog, Dr. Barry and Judy Silverman, Broward Health, Friends of NSU Art Museum, Dr. Mariana Morris, and Spirit Charitable Foundation.
Image:
Louis Glackens, Hurry up Girls – Here comes the customers, n.d. Pencil, pen and ink on paper, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, William Glackens Collection, 92.132
