A Sense of Wonder: The Memorial Retrospective of Robert Kostka

Paintings and Drawings from 1950-2005
Curated by Peter Selz
January 19-March 18, 2006

On January 19, 2006 Meridian Gallery will open an exhibition celebrating the life and work of Robert Kostka (Sept. 11, 1928 - Nov. 12, 2005). Kostka, who lived in Oregon and also considered Taos, New Mexico, his home, was best known for his broad explorations of archetypal images, including sacred mountains, and the cosmologies and creation myths of cultures drawn from Native American, Asian, and Middle Eastern traditions. He painted evocative, soft images in sumi-e ink or gouache on Japanese papers, and hard-edge abstractions in acrylic on canvas. From the mid-1950s on, he also was committed to interdisciplinary partnerships with artists in a variety of media including music, film, photography, sculpture, and ceramics. Frank Waters, author of Book of the Hopi, once described Kostka's work as "embodying the integration of East and West." Kostka was cherished as an artist, author, lecturer and educator.

Curator Peter Selz, Kostka's mentor, prominent art historian, author, museum director, and former curator of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, has chosen approximately 50 works spanning from 1950 to 2005, drawing from Kostka's past series such as the Dragon Line, Ghost Dance, Sacred Mountain, Solar Barge, Earth Music series, as well as his Sumi-e paintings. Works are primarily in watercolor pigments and sumi ink.