The University Art Gallery at UMass Dartmouth, in cooperation with the Danish Honorary Consul, Jacob Friis, is pleased to present the exhibition Theatrum Rdo: The Late Work of Richard Winther, on view November 1, 2008, through January 15, 2009.

The exhibition features more than 150 large, medium, and small paintings, a selection of large sculptures, and more than thirty small ceramic sculptures. All the work was done in the period from 2001-2007, the years before the artist’s death at age 81.

Winther occupies a unique place in the history of Danish art. As a young man he traveled to Paris on a regular basis, visiting artists such as Alberto Giacometti and Man Ray. In Denmark, he was associated with many of the main participants in the CoBrA movement and the circle of artists connected to Denise Renee in Paris. Although participating in the different movements and events that characterized Denmark and Europe in the late 1940s, 50s and 60s, he maintained a unique and individual take on what art could and should be, always experimenting with a wide range of techniques, including film and music, and always asserting the role of subject matter and storytelling.

Richard Winther’s investigations and contemplations of what quickly became many intertwined themes, resulted in an extensive body of work, from which the work on view in the gallery was selected. A catalog with an essay curator Lasse Antonsen will be published in connection with the exhibition and available for purchase at the gallery.

Theatrum Rdo: The Late Work of Richard Winther will be on view from November 1, 2008, through January 15, 2009, in the University Art Gallery. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, November 1, from 3-6pm. The opening will feature ‘Richard Winther’s Late Work: Theatricality, Desire, Fame, and Death,’ a talk by curator Lasse Antonsen at 4pm in the Star Store Lecture Hall.

The University Art Gallery is open daily from 9am-6pm. This exhibition, reception, and lecture are free of charge and open to the public.

The University Art Gallery is located in the Star Store Campus of UMass Dartmouth at 715 Purchase Street in downtown New Bedford. Parking available in the nearby Zeiterion Parking Garage. Venue is handicapped-accessible. For additional information, please call (508) 999-8555 or e-mail Gallery Director Lasse Antonsen at lantonsen@umassd.edu.