Date: Fri 25-Sep-1998

Publication: Ant

Author: LAURAB

Quick Words:

Olinsky

Full Text:

Works By Olinsky

w/cuts

OLD LYME, CONN. -- From October 15 to November 14, the Cooley Gallery will

present an exhibition and sale of artwork by Lyme Impressionist Ivan G.

Olinsky (1878-1962), drawn from the private collection of the artist's family.

More than 50 of Olinsky's works will be featured, including figurative work

and portraiture, mostly of female subjects, landscapes, still lifes, and

paintings of Venice, where he spent time in 1908 to 1909. A variety of media

is represented, including oil, watercolor, charcoal, and pastel.

This exhibition draws upon recent Olinsky research, and specifically the 1995

retrospective exhibition of the artist's work, "Faces of Change: The Art of

Ivan G. Olinsky," a show jointly organized by The William Benton Museum of Art

and the Florence Griswold Museum. Like the 1995 exhibition, which offered a

diverse view of the artist's versatility and talent, the Cooley Gallery

exhibition and sale will focus on many of the same themes but will include a

number of works not previously seen or offered for sale.

Born in the Ukraine, Olinsky moved to New York City with his parents sometime

around 1890, and he began to study art at the Art Students League and the

National Academy of Design. At both schools, Olinsky eventually took teaching

posts, remaining a member of the faculty for many years. In 1917, he began to

spend summers in the Grassy Hill section of Old Lyme, but he continued to

maintain a studio in New York City. From early on in his career, Olinsky's art

was critically acclaimed, and throughout his life, he was a respected and

active member of the New York and Lyme art communities.

A full-color catalogue of the exhibition, "The Art of Ivan G. Olinsky," is

available ($10 postage paid). Also available is the artist's 1995 monograph

and exhibition catalogue, Faces of Change: The Art of Ivan G. Olinsky (William

Benton Museum of Art) ($15 postage paid).

Also currently on view at The Cooley Gallery is "Peggy Root, New Work"

(through October 24). "Michael Theise, New Work" will open in November.

Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is free.

For information, call Bethany Astrachan or Lorre Broom at 434-8807.