'Poste Nébuleux'
Ben Banville: A Life in Art, a Taber Art Gallery retrospective
The Taber Art Gallery at Holyoke Community College is proud to present "Poste Nébuleux," a comprehensive retrospective honoring the life and art of the late Bernard "Ben" Banville, now through Feb. 22.
Banville was a musician, photographer, artist and long-time resident of the Pioneer Valley who died from in January 2017. The show was curated by Christopher Willingham, an adjunct professor of Visual Arts at HCC.
"Ben was an extraordinary talent, a contagious wit, and a generous friend," Willingham said. "He lived from the center of his art - a continuous, indivisible personal mythology that animated his trickster spirit, and imbued his life with passionate meaning. His art was exhibited widely throughout the area over the last 30 years, culminating in his profound and moving sculptural installations commemorating the Holocaust, which were centerpieces for large group exhibits in the thriving Holyoke art scene."
There will be a daytime reception Wed., Feb. 7, at 11 a.m., with a gallery talk by Willingham at noon.
There will also be an evening reception Thurs., Feb. 8, from 5:30 -7:30 p.m.
The works in "Poste Nébuleux" span almost 40 years, from early Dada-inspired mail art, to visionary drawings of erotic apocalypse, to the digital paintings, assemblages and installation documentation of Banville's mature work. They are accompanied by encaustics that were the last pieces he produced.
Banville was based in Shelburne Falls until his studio and most of his work was destroyed by the flooding from Hurricane Irene.
The works in the exhibition come from the collections of André Banville, Dennis Banville, Isabella Dell' Olio, Dean Nimmer, Eileen Roif, Don and Marcia Wheeler, and Christopher Willingham.
The Taber Art Gallery at HCC is open Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during regular school sessions. It is free and open to the public and located through the HCC Campus Library lobby on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, 303 Homestead Ave., Holyoke.
For more information, please contact Amy Johnquest, director of the Taber Art Gallery, at 413.552.2614.
PHOTOS by CHRIS YURKO: 'Poste Nebuleux, Ben Banville: A Life in Art' will be on display in the Taber Art Gallery through Feb. 22.
