"IN SEARCH of LENA GURR"
Presentation by art historian, writer, photographer & painter, Priscilla Bain-Smith

Sunday, January 22, 2006, 2:00 - 4:00 pm

In tandem with the current exhibition, PAST & PRESENT, Tabla Rasa Gallery is having an exciting presentation, "IN SEARCH of LENA GURR," by Priscilla Bain-Smith, who takes us on a journey of revelation, unraveling and sharing discoveries about Lena Gurr (1897-1992) and the artwork she created in the 95 years of her extraordinary life.  Ms. Bain-Smith has been following the footsteps of Lena Gurr and her husband, Joseph Biel (1891-1943), through Greenwich Village, Chelsea, and 57th Street.  She has photographed sites pertaining to their lives as New York artists in the Depression & WPA eras, finding compelling historical links to the Whitney Museum, the Squibb Building, and even Trump Parc.  Her investigations uncovered an active, vital artworld in the 20s, 30s, 40s, when the artists themselves were making the rules, and developing the new American art scene.

Like Walt Whitman, the painter Lena Gurr found poetry in the everyday world of urban street life. Tabla Rasa Gallery is delighted to present her fascinating artwork in PAST & PRESENT.  As a female artist, in an era when women were blatantly under-recognized, she managed to spend her life creating artwork with heart, verve, and astute social observation.  Her paintings, and those of her husband, Joseph Biel, are shown with works by various contemporary artists of similar genre and sensibility, Simon Dinnerstein, Gregory Frux, Sylvia Maier, and Dave Mitri.

Ms. Bain-Smith is the author of Van Gogh Walks Paris (published in Europe) and has an article on Michelangelo forthcoming in Renaissance Magazine.  Among her art & travel-related published articles are pieces for www.bonjourparis.com on Manet, Gauguin, the Van Gogh brothers, the Luxembourg Gardens.  Ms. Bain-Smith is currently researching a book on Ernest Hemingway.

Tabla Rasa Gallery is located at 224 48 St. in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Street parking is available or take the north end of the "R" train to the “45 St.” subway exit.  The gallery is open noon to 5:00 Friday & Saturday, and additional hours by appointment.  The current exhibition, PAST & PRESENT, continues until February 4th, 2006.
---------------------------
Gallery hours: Noon – 5:00 pm
Friday and Saturday
Call for additional hours: 718. 833 9100 or 718. 768 0305

TABLA RASA GALLERY
224 48th Street 
(b/w 2nd & 3rd Aves.)
Sunset Park
Brooklyn NY 11220

North end of "R" train to 45 Street exit in Brooklyn.

www.TablaRasaGallery.com

FREE