FORT WAYNE.- America has enjoyed a long, rich history of Realist art from Colonial times to the present. The Fort Wayne Museum of Art is pleased to expand the discourse on this enduring tradition by presenting Contemporary American Realism: 2008 Biennial.

For 2008, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art invited six Realists, a mix of established to mid-career and emerging artists, to participate in the exhibition. In their diverse works, Don Jacot, Dave Kurz, Richard Maury, Maria Tomasula, John Tuccillo, and Vincent Valdez successfully push Realism in different directions.

The majority of the exhibition, however, is devoted to representing the current trends in Realist painting, sculpture, and drawing across the country. One hundred artists were selected from an outpouring of entrants from large and small communities in 28 different states, an even broader representation than in 2006. This overwhelming response confirms that there are Realist artists working throughout the entire country and challenges the notion of New York City’s dominance as the country’s artistic center.

Although a seemingly narrow focus, the art in this exhibition presents a vast range of ideas, approaches, styles, and subject matter. Some artists are building and expanding upon the legacies of Photorealism, Magic Realism, trompe l’oeil, and urban realism. Others strive to capture light and texture, or delve into the psychology of the situation or sitter. Several create fantastic and macabre narrations or even border on abstraction.