Baby-Boom Daydreams: The Art of Douglas Bourgeois November 22, 2003 - February 15, 2004

The fascinating work of acclaimed figurative artist Douglas Bourgeois is the subject of a major retrospective exhibition at the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Georgia from November 22, 2003 through February 15, 2004.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 13, 2003

Contact: Tania Beasley-Jolly
Phone: 706-724-7501
Fax: 706-724-7612
E-mail: taniab@themorris.org

THE MORRIS MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS
BABY-BOOM DAYDREAMS:
THE ART OF DOUGLAS BOURGEOIS,
November 22, 2003 - February 15, 2004

Augusta, Georgia- Augusta, Georgia: The fascinating work of acclaimed figurative artist Douglas Bourgeois is the subject of a major retrospective exhibition at the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Georgia from November 22, 2003 through February 15, 2004. The exhibition, which includes more than 60 paintings, spans the length of Bourgeoiss 25-year long career. It was organized by David S. Rubin, Curator of Visual Arts at the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans, and it is accompanied by a fully-illustrated color catalogue (published by Hudson Hills Press) that features essays by Rubin, Dan Cameron, Senior Curator of the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, and independent scholar and art consultant Estill Curtis Pennington.

A celebratory event marking the exhibitions presentation at the Morris is scheduled for December 4, 2003. The artist presents a talk about his work with Morris Museum director Kevin Grogan in the museums auditorium at 6 p. m.; a reception and book-signing follow. Tickets for the event are $5.00. Morris Museum members are admitted free.

Born in 1951 in Gonzalez, Louisiana, Douglas Bourgeois was raised in the rural farm community of St. Amant. After receiving a Bachelor of fine arts from Louisiana State University in 1974, he moved to New Orleans for a time, but eventually returned to the countryside that has inspired his artwork for so many years.

Bourgeoiss fabulously rendered paintings and sculptural assemblages present icons of popular culture alongside everyday people from Louisianas richly diverse population. His work combines religious figures,
pop-culture artifacts, environmental concerns, and social issues, as well as iconic stars of Hollywoods Golden Age and the hey-day of rock 'n roll, including Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Martha and the Vandellas, and cult figures like Little Eva. He fuses private fantasy with social document, while exploring everything
from glamour to racial tension, from violence -- both domestic and social -- to the nature of celebrity. Bourgeois, like the subjects he depicts, seeks the spiritual in the everyday.

According to Rubin, Douglas Bourgeois is one of Louisianas best-kept secrets. He is an extraordinary artist who is widely known in our own area, but deserves greater recognition elsewhere. Thanks to the generous support of incredible donors and the willing participation of so many collectors who are lending work to the exhibition, we are able to share our treasure-the art of Douglas Bourgeois-with the rest of the world."

Baby-Boom Daydreams has been made possible by generous support from The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Foundation, Tommy and Dathel Coleman, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Fredrick R. Weisman Art Foundation, New Orleans Silversmiths, Paul J. Leaman, Jr., Susan and Claude Albritton, Morris and Cathy Bart, JoEllen and Raoul Bezou, John and Lyn Fischbach, Ellen Johnson and Ronald Swartz, Dr. and Mrs. Frederick Kushner, Jane and Henry Lowentritt, Dr. Perry Pate, Arthur Roger, John Sullivan, Sidney D. Torres III, and Dr. Robert Trahan. Additional funding has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and through a grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the State affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For more information, slides or photographs, contact Tania Beasley-Jolly at 706-828-3805 or visit the museum web site at www.themorris.org

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The Morris Museum of Art houses one of the finest public collections devoted to the art and artists of the American South in the nation. It offers special exhibitions, tours, concerts, lectures and other public programs. Open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and from noon until 5 p.m. Sunday, the museum is located on the Riverwalk in downtown Augusta, Georgia at 1 Tenth Street. Free parking adjoins the building.