Apropos

September 7, 2023 - November 26, 2023
Insights Talk: October 18, 2023 6:30PM-8PM. Click here to learn more.

apropos | ˌaprəˈpō |

(preposition): with reference to; concerning
(adjective) [predicative]: very appropriate to a particular situation

Curious as to how current artists might respond to Charles Umlauf’s figurative twentieth century sculptures, last spring the UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum launched an open call for artists to propose work in any media that is apropos of Umlauf. The results are displayed here in a wide-ranging exhibition of art made by eighteen local artists. The variety of art and artists in Apropos is striking, featuring work from both well-established and newly emerging artists, and even some enthusiastic hobbyists. Some artists studied with Charles Umlauf himself at the University of Texas at Austin, while others were born many years after Umlauf’s time. In the gallery and garden one can find sculptures in clay, bronze and found materials in both large and tiny sizes. Apropos also includes multi-media works that complement several traditional paintings and drawings.

Although Umlauf (1910-1994) lived throughout many art movements, his oeuvre displays virtually no influence from the radical styles of the 1960s-1980s such as pop art, minimalism, and postmodernism. Umlauf knew his training and capabilities were best used to make bronze figurative sculptures cast in the ancient lost-wax method at American and European foundries. By contrast, the Apropos artists explore all types of media. Some have taken a relatively neutral approach to interpreting Umlauf’s art, while others take an inquisitive approach to his perspective as a 20th century white male artist with a passion for the female form. The results range from sincere homages to highly humorous reinterpretations. We hope visitors will spend time considering how each object relates to Umlauf’s sculptures.