Kent Ullberg Retrospective Sculpture Exhibition Visits Jackson Hole Feb. 4 – May 8; National Touring Exhibit Features 48 Sculptures Created Over a 35-year Span
A traveling retrospective exhibit of 48 pieces by Kent Ullberg, widely recognized as one of the world's leading wildlife sculptors, will be on display at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, 2820 Rungius Road in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, from February 4 until May 8. David Wagner, Ph.D., is the exhibit's curator and tour director.
(PRWEB) January 24, 2005 -- A traveling retrospective exhibit of 48 pieces by Kent Ullberg, widely recognized as one of the world's leading wildlife sculptors, will be on display at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, 2820 Rungius Road in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, from February 4 until May 8. David Wagner, Ph.D., is the exhibit's curator and tour director.
The exhibition, which premiered at Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, was mounted in response to a monumental public art commission created by Ullberg for the new First National Center in Omaha, Nebraska. The bank installation, of epic scale, involves 58 bronze and stainless steel geese with eight-foot wingspans lifting off from a downtown fountain and entering the urban landscape. The geese are attached to traffic light standards and buildings throughout downtown Omaha, ultimately entering the First National Center’s atrium. A heroic composition of a bronze wagon train created by Ed Fraughton and Blair Buswell spans a downtown park, driving a charging herd of Ullberg's larger-than-life bison on a journey throughout the downtown area.
The National Museum of Wildlife Art knows Ullberg’s work well. One of his pieces, “Waiting for Sockeye,” a monumental bear sculpture, sits at the front of the facility. The museum awarded Ullberg the Rungius Medal for lifetime achievement in 1996, and includes “Evolution,” a 1992 bronze, amongst its permanent collection.
Exhibition sculptures were selected from the more than 50 monuments and 250 smaller castings Ullberg has produced in his career and represent creatures from land, sea and air. Models give insight into Ullberg's sense of design and mechanics. Others are smaller sculptures of unique and delicate beauty. Pieces in the exhibition span from 1969’s “Owl” to 2004’s “Archipenkos Heron,” and includes "Wind in the Sails," a 1999 stainless steel sculpture that stands in Stockholm, Sweden.
Future dates and locations where the exhibit will be on display include:
- May 28-July 24, 2005, Bergstrom-Mahler Museum, Neenah, Wisconsin
- August 15-October 30, 2005, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston, Texas
- November 15, 2005-January 1, 2006, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tuscon, Arizona
- January 14-March 12, 2006, Foothills Art Center, Golden, Colorado
The exhibition and tour has been generously underwritten by First National Bank, Omaha, Nebraska.
Curator/Tour Director David J. Wagner, Ph.D., on Ullberg's work:
"No matter where Kent Ullberg's work is judged, it succeeds because of the breadth, depth and sophistication of his knowledge and talent. In the world of New York's National Academy of Design or the National Sculpture Society, Ullberg's art stands out because he deeply understands nature, and his treatment of it goes beyond urbane aesthetics. In the world of the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the Society of Animal Artists, or The Wildlife Experience, Ullberg's work rises above the rest because he applies his broad knowledge of art history to create his sculptures. He aspires to be true to art and to nature."
About Kent Ullberg
A native of Sweden, Kent Ullberg is recognized as one of the world’s foremost wildlife sculptors. While he has done hundreds of works on a small scale, he is perhaps best known for the monumental works he has executed for museums and municipalities from Omaha, Nebraska to Cape Town, South Africa. His Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Omaha, Nebraska installations are the largest wildlife bronze compositions ever done, spanning several city blocks. Regardless of scale, he imbues all of his subjects with unparalleled vitality.
Ullberg is a member of a number of important art organizations that have honored him with prestigious awards. These include, in New York City, Allied Artists of America, National Academy of Design, National Arts Club, National Sculpture Society and the Society of Animal Artists. The National Academy of Design elected Ullberg a full “Academician,” one of the highest recognitions a visual artist can receive. His memberships and awards outside New York include the American Society of Marine Artists, Ambler, Pennsylvania; and the National Academy of Western Art, Oklahoma City, which awarded him the Prix de West Award in 1998, the foremost award in western art. He is a major supporter of many wildlife conservation efforts.
Ullberg’s work can be found in major museums and corporate headquarters around the globe, including the National Museum of Natural History in Stockholm, Sweden; the National Gallery in Botswana, Africa; National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C.; Exhibition Hall, Beijing, China; the Guildhall in London, and many more. His pieces can also be found in the private collections of world leaders and celebrities, including H.R.H. Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Jack Nicholson and Robert Wagner. For more information, call (970) 667-7809 or (361) 851-1600, or email ullberg@kentullberg.com.
About The National Museum of Wildlife Art
The National Museum of Wildlife Art is home to the nation's premier public collection of fine art devoted to wildlife. Located just three miles north of Jackson town square on Highway 89, the building is nestled into a hillside overlooking the 20,000-acre National Elk Refuge and the Gros Ventre Mountains in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The museum is unique among American art museums, distinguished by its mission and location. With collections of nearly 2,300 works of art, the museum strives to enrich and inspire public appreciation of fine art and humanity's relationship with nature by focusing its exhibitions and programs on wildlife. The 51,000 square foot facility features 12 galleries, 15,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 200-seat auditorium, two full-sized classrooms, as well as a conference room, gift shop, café and lobby. The museum receives 90,000 visitors a year. For more information, visit www.wildlifeart.org, call 800-313-9553 or (307) 733-5771, or email info@wildlifeart.org.
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