"THE NAKED TRUTH" BRINGS CONTEMPORARY ART TO RYE, NH

The Collector's Art Gallery in Rye, NH, is happy to announce "The Naked Truth," an exhibition focusing on the nude figure. The show will open with a catered reception on Saturday, May 13th, 2006, 5-8pm. The public is welcome.

"The Naked Truth" explores the realities of the human body, featuring the work of nationally renown contemporary artists Lincoln Perry, Jim Peters, Stephen Burt, Brian Kreydatus, Margaret McCann and Christopher Gowell, as well as pieces by local emerging artists.

The group of exhibiting artists will showcase a range of approaches to representing the human body, from glorification and realism, to surrealism and expressive semi-abstraction. Lincoln Perry, a figurative painter residing in Maine and Virginia, examines the nude in its relation to culture and nature. Portland-based Stephen Burt depicts the figure in epical scenarios that suggest the possibility of transcendence. Portsmouth painter Margaret McCann reworks the relationship between human proportions and architecture, so that the figure overwhelms surrounding structures. Sculptor Christopher Gowell of Elliot, ME, merges human and organic forms using techniques that draw on medieval, classical, and baroque traditions. Brian Kreydatus, a painter and printmaker from Williamsburg, VA, works in the London School tradition, focusing on the skin's physicality, vulnerability, and inherent imperfection. And the raw, expressive work of Jim Peters of Cape Cod is concerned with domestic sensuality, often focusing on intimacy between couples.

Curator Albina Colden explains that an important goal of "The Naked Truth" is to provide complete freedom of expression to artists who depict the nude figure. Colden states: "Exhibiting nudity can be challenging in conservative New England, but we feel that the audience will benefit from the uncensored nature of this show. Artists must be free to display what they feel is most powerful, rather than what is publicly acceptable, in order for the work to be truly authentic."

"The Naked Truth" will be the first exhibition of contemporary art to be held at the Collector's Art Gallery.

Michael Labrie states: "I am excited about the new direction of the gallery and about the roster of artists that will be taking part in 'The Naked Truth'. We hope this show will communicate the gallery's commitment to bringing quality contemporary art to the community."