Eve & Shiva: Sculpture of Charles Umlauf and Gene Owens belongs to an ongoing series of exhibitions that juxtapose the art of Charles Umlauf (1910-1994) and his 20th century peers.

     Fort Worth-area native Gene Owens (b. 1931) is a pioneer of modern sculpture. He has had solo exhibitions at the University of Georgia, Athens (1961); Fifth Avenue Gallery, Fort Worth (1961); Fort Worth Art Center (1964); Gallery in the Square, Fort Worth (1967); The New Gallery, Fort Worth (1980); and Fort Worth Gallery, Fort Worth (1991), with a full retrospective exhibition of his work at The Old Jail Art Center in Albany, TX in 2012. 1

     Owens spent the summer of 1952 studying with Umlauf, quickly becoming an accomplished abstract and figurative sculptor in his own right. In the 1960s, he worked at the side of Japanese- American artist Isamu Noguchi. A key and critically acclaimed sculptor of the 20th century, Noguchi referenced the form and philosophy of the modernist sculptor Brancusi. Meanwhile, while teaching art full time at The University of Texas at Austin, Umlauf spent every summer casting bronze sculptures in Italy, intensifying his appreciation and knowledge of Renaissance and Medieval art.

     Eve & Shiva centers around two bronze figures: Umlauf's Eve with Apple/Eva con Mela (1974) and Owens's Shiva (1965). The two sculptures convey the diverging influences and journeys of these artists and the time periods that inspired them. Their many other works in the exhibition are arranged so viewers can closely compare subject matter, surface texture, and materials of the two artists’ sculptures of the 1960s and 1970s.

     This exhibition is organized by UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum curator Katie Robinson Edwards. The UMLAUF extends thanks to Gene Owens for sharing his time and lending his sculptures; Robert and Hillary Summers; and to Charles Peveto for lending Owens’ work for this exhibition. Crucial support was provided for this exhibition by the UMLAUF staff members and curatorial intern Briana Bracey.