OPENING RECEPTION: 1ST THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, FROM 5 – 8PM
Sullivan Goss announces LOCKWOOD DE FOREST: WANDERLUST, an exhibition of 26 paintings from around the globe. Painted between 1869 and 1920, the views in these pieces chronicle the travels of an artist whose sense of adventure took him from the most famous landmarks to some of the most obscure vistas on the planet.
While on the Grand Tour at the age of 19, de Forest first painted with his future mentor, Frederic Church, undoubtedly the most admired American landscape painter of his day. Sitting side by side, the two artists painted the Parthenon in Athens, unifying the three great passions that would guide the rest of de Forest’s life: travel, painting, and architectural design. Over the next half century, de Forest created a visual record of travels to the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, New England, the West Coast, Mexico, Alaska, and parts of East Asia.
Each of the paintings in this exhibition are historic treasures, documenting views that have changed forever, but the adventurous spirit that created them remains evident to this day. To transform the gallery into a space that will evoke the sense of discovery and wonder that drove de Forest on his voyages around the globe, the gallery is collaborating with Michael Kourosh from Santa Barbara Design Center. The first room of the gallery will become a 19th century orientalist salon including rare artifacts, ephemera, and design materials on loan from the artist’s estate.
De Forest’s work has enjoyed national attention recently, with exhibitions at important museums in California, Florida, and New York, including the Smithsonian's Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum. This exhibition is full of paintings that would be right at home in any of these institutions. De Forest’s study of the Parthenon, painted with Frederic Church in 1869, will be on display for the first time ever.
