FOR 10/26

‘THE SACRED DEED’ ON VIEW AT PUCKER GALLERY

avv/gs set 10/17 #716153

BOSTON, MASS. — Pucker Gallery presents “The Sacred Deed,” an exhibition of new works by ceramic artist Brother Thomas Bezanson. Brother Thomas is a former Benedictine monk who had lived as the artist-in-residence with the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, Penn., since 1985 and died in August. Each work is a marriage of form and glazes. Pucker Gallery has shared Thomas’s life and work for more than 20 years.

The pottery of Brother Thomas goes beyond the physical and aesthetic endeavor as each work represents an exercise in spirituality, honesty and trust in the forces of God and nature. The essential element in each pot, tea bowl, plate and vase is the artist’s pursuit of knowledge, understanding and beauty.

By the sheer nature of the art of pottery, the viewer is challenged to engage each piece through sight, touch and use. Thomas furthers this challenge by engaging not only the physical senses, but also engaging the deeper part of the viewer where intuition, creativity and emotion are found.

His work is represented in more than 75 public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Smithsonian Institute; and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Approximately 170 of his recent ceramic works will be on display over two floors of gallery space. A 32-page color catalog accompanies the exhibition.

Pucker Gallery is at 171 Newbury Street. For information, www.puckergallery.com or 617-267-9473.