“Carnegie Goes International” — in Carnegie!

DOUBLE DOG STUDIOS, 317 Second Avenue in Carnegie, PA, hosts the Carnegie Goes International show running Sept. 17-Oct. 1 with an opening reception Saturday, Sept. 17 from 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Curated by Pat McArdle, Carnegie Goes International features 100 works of art from 19 artists (Helen Bryant, Ben Edge, Louis Eilshemius, Luke Hannam, John Kane, Mark Krzepis, Benjamin Kopman, Maria Laurencin, Casey McGlynn, John McKie, Marina Mozhayeva, Merel Noorlander, Louise Pershing, Ana Soloviic, Lionel Sumi, Parvaneh Torkamini, Wendy Vuman, Arahaham Walkowitz, Willian Zimpel), with six of the artists having exhibited in past Carnegie International shows (Eilshemius, Kane, Kopman, Laurencin, Pershing, Walkowitz).

McArdle notes that the group is drawn from 10 countries — Australia, Canada, England, France, Iran, Netherlands, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, United States. “Each artist is influenced by their native country and surroundings,” he says. “It is incredible to see their work together. It’s like they’re having a conversation through art about the state of the world.”

The exhibit marks the U.S. debut of three artists:

•  Ben Edge – A London-based artist influenced by folk art and a focus on British culture and folklore, Edge’s paintings create environments of people, symbolism and storytelling.

•  Helen Bryant – A contemporary artist from Hastings, East Sussex, England, Bryant’s work features intricate ink line work and brightly-hued abstracts of figures.

•  John McKie – A Northern England painter/sculptor, McKie often employs packaging and found materials in his imaginative and colorful works.

Carnegie Goes International is also an homage to a legendary Pittsburgh art collector, G. David Thompson (1899-1965), a Whitehall resident, Carnegie Tech grad, corporate steel executive and one of the most influential art collectors of the 20th century.

Over his collecting career, Thompson acquired more than 600 works spanning an array of artists who helped define and invigorate the many style streams of Modern Art — Willem de Kooning, Claes Oldenburg, Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Piet Mondrian, Isamu Noguchi and dozens more, including Alexander Calder, whose Pittsburgh mobile Thompson bought for the Pittsburgh International Airport.

“This is an attempt to tell the story of what this man did to advance the visual arts in Pittsburgh,” says McArdle. “In fact, what he did to inspire interest in visual arts across America and the world is unsurpassed.”

AND A WEEK later on Saturday, Sept. 24, the 58th Carnegie International, titled Is it morning for you yet?, opens at Carnegie Museum of Art (4400 Forbes Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Oakland district) and runs to Apr. 2, 2023 showcasing historical works from the collections of international institutions, estates and artists alongside new commissions and recent works by contemporary artists and several months of films, workshops, programs for youth and families, resources for teachers and more.

______________________________

*** STAY TUNED FOR details about a Sept. 28 panel discussion at Double Dog Studios on the Carnegie Goes International artists, with participation by artist Ben Edge. Email pjmcardleproductions@gmail.com or call (412) 343-5584 for details.