Eve & Shiva: Sculpture by Charles Umlauf and Gene Owens
May 9 - August 30, 2015
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 spent the summer of 1952 studying with Umlauf, quickly becoming an accomplished abstract and figurative sculptor in his own right. He worked at the side of Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi throughout the 1960s, traveling between New York and Texas.
In the same era, while teaching art full time at The University of Texas at Austin, Umlauf spent every summer casting bronze sculptures in Italy. His studies in Italy intensified 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 different influences and journeys of these artists. Their many other works in the exhibition are arranged so viewers can closely compare subject matter, surface texture, and materials of the two artists.
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