Margaret Morrison - The Antique Paintings

Margaret Morrison Margaret Morrison A Series of Paintings Inspired by The Antique Markets of Tuscany A Series of Paintings Inspired by The Antique Markets of Tuscany

The Antique Paintings The Antique Paintings

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argaret Morrison is an American realist and surrealist artist who is best known for her highly detailed still-life and figurative paintings.

Morrison has been recently pursuing an inspiration that came from the antique markets of Tuscany where tables are spread with sumptuous offerings of silver, crystal, and collectables. She paints a menagerie of these shiny antique objects arranged to fully stimulate our senses.

The relationship she creates between such a dense variety of unknown items is truly extraordinary! Morrison’s figurative imagery bestows a level of honesty, giving life to the characters she creates. Her larger-than-life paintings of treats offer a joyful, incalculable thrill of sweet pleasure. Morrison’s Toy series reminisce on a childhood nostalgia, observing the importance of play and imagination.

The Artist is a tenured Professor of Drawing and Painting at the University of Georgia and teaches in Italy a few months each year. Margaret Morrison’s paintings have recently been featured in these art institutions: Museum of Contemporary Art, Atlanta, GA; Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, GA; Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, Birmingham, AL; Maria V Howard Arts Museum, City of Rocky Mount, NC; Kimmel Center Gallery Windows, New York University, NYC; United Nation’s Art in Embassies Program featured in Tel Aviv Embassy, Tel Aviv; Lyndon House Arts Center and Lyndon House Arts Foundation, GA; Shelburne Museum, VT; The William Benton Museum of Art, University of Connecticut, CT; Art Gallery at Rockefeller State Park Preserve, NY; Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center Museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian, MD.

Margaret Morrison, April 2022

Aerial view of Cortona village Tuscany, Italy

Cortona, one of the twelve jewels in the Etruscan crown, sits high on a hillside in Tuscany, overlooking an expansive valley. From this vantage point, the ancient hilltop town witnessed some of the most momentous events of human history; Hannibal’s defeat of the Roman legion by the shores of Lake Trasimeno and centuries later, the devastating clash between the Allied and Axis Forces in World War II along the Gothic Line. The ghosts of history are embedded in every wall and winding alley of Cortona.

I love my Cortona summers when I teach painting in a deconsecrated chapel of an old convent. On the weekends, I hop on the train down in the valley and head off to Arezzo, Florence, Pisa, Lucca, looking for the open-air markets as inspiration for my paintings. I’m on the hunt for table after table of cast-off objects and antiques, fascinated by the artistry of the shopkeepers as they choreograph the placement of each collectable. I recall that one Saturday, after a long day searching and coming up empty handed, I headed back up the steep, switchback road to Cortona. I slowly ambled past the Piazza Repubblica to the Piazza Signorelli for a gelato. To my delight, laid out before me, was a glorious sight of the local Cortonese antique market. One table, in particular, was spread with eclectic objects and animal figurines that sparkled and glinted under the bright Tuscan sunlight. I finally found my inspiration, back where I had started, in beautiful Cortona.

Margaret Morrison, 2022

The Collection

Margaret Morrison Cristallo, 2022 Oil on canvas 108 x 84 inches; 274.32 x 213.36 cm Signed lower right

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Margaret Morrison Opera Omnia, 2022 Oil on canvas 108 x 84 inches; 274.32 x 213.36 cm Signed lower left

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Margaret Morrison Menagerie, 2021 Oil on canvas 72 x 60 inches; 182.9 x 152.4 cm Signed

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Margaret Morrison Keramikos, 2017 Oil on canvas 72 × 96 inches; 182.9 × 243.8 cm Signed

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Above: Margaret Morrison’s Keramikos as published in NY Times,T Magazine, October, 2019 20

Margaret Morrison’s Keramikos exhibited at the Georgia Museum of Art.

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Margaret Morrison, Atomic No. 47, 2016 Oil on canvas 72 × 96 inches; 182.9 × 243.8 cm Signed

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Margaret Morrison Butterscotch, 2020 Oil on canvas 36 x 36 inches; 91.44 x 91.44 cm Signed lower right

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Margaret Morrison Bambino, 2020 Oil on canvas 36 x 36 inches; 91.44 x 91.44 cm Signed lower right

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Margaret Morrison Striped Umbrella, 2019 Oil on canvas 35 x 35 inches; 90 x 90 cm Signed lower left

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Margaret Morrison Cacophony, 2020 Oil on canvas 36 x 36 inches; 91.44 x 91.44 cm Signed lower left

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Margaret Morrison For the Birds, 2020 Oil on canvas 36 x 36 inches; 91.44 x 91.44 cm Signed lower right

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Margaret Morrison Reliquia, 2020 Oil on canvas 36 x 36 inches; 91.44 x 91.44 cm Signed lower right

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Wo odward Gallery Establ ish ed 19 9 4

MARGARET MORRISON Education 1988 1981

MFA, University of Utah.

BFA, University of Utah.

Selected Exhibitions 2024-2022

2023 2022

2022 2022 2021 2021-2020 2020 2020 2020 2019-2020

2019 2019 2019 2018 2017 2017 2017 2017

“Highlighting Contemporary Art in Georgia | Picture This,” Group, organized by the Georgia MUSEUM of Art and the Lyndon House Arts Center. Exhibition Travelling to: Lyndon House Arts Center, Athens, GA, June – September, 2022; Illges Gallery at Columbus State University, Columbus, GA, October – November, 2022; Albany MUSEUM of Art, Albany, GA, December 2022 – March 2023; LaGrange Art MUSEUM, LaGrange, GA, April – July, 2023; MUSEUM of Arts and Sciences, Macon, GA, August – October, 2023; Morris MUSEUM of Art, Augusta, GA, November, 2023 – April, 2024.

“Paradigm Shift,” Lyndon House Art Center, MUSEUM, Athens, GA. “86th National Midyear Exhibition,” Awarded Best In Show, Group, Guest Curator William Underwood Eiland, Director of the Georgia MUSEUM of Art, The Butler Institute of American Art, MUSEUM, Youngstown, OH. “New in 22,” Group, Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Gathered V,” Group, MUSEUM of Contemporary Art/ MOCA GA, Atlanta, GA. “À La Carte,” Group, Abroms- Engel Institute for the Visual Arts, MUSEUM, Birmingham, AL. “Margaret Morrison,” The Georgia MUSEUM of Art, Athens, GA. “Margaret Morrison: Home,” Woodward Gallery, NYC. “UGA Cortona - La Mostra! 2019,” Dodd Galleries, University of Georgia, Athens, GA. “Faculty Exhibition: All Together Now,” Dodd Galleries, University of Georgia, Athens, GA. “SEDICIM XVI,” Group, including works by Willem de Kooning, Andy Warhol, Franz Kline, Paul Gauguin, Richard Hambleton and others at the Down Town Association, 60 Pine Street, Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Lyndon House 44th Juried Exhibition,” Lyndon House Art Center, Athens, GA. Juried by Lauren Haynes, curator of Contemporary Art at Crystal Bridges MUSEUM of American Art. “Margaret Morrison Baby Boomer Lunch Box Series,” Gourmet Garage, SoHo, presented by Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Down Town Summer Salon,” Group, Down Town Association, 60 Pine Street, presented by Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Margaret Morrison Sweet Surrender,” Maria V. Howard MUSEUM, Imperial Center for the Arts, Rocky Mount, NC. “Sweet Tooth: The Art of Dessert,” Shelburne MUSEUM, Shelburne, VT. “Margaret Morrison: Tablewares,” Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Introducing Woodward Gallery Windows,” Margaret Morrison, Richard Hambleton, Brad Robson, Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Storytelling,” Celebration of the Georgia Review’s 70th Anniversary, The Georgia MUSEUM of Art, Athens, GA.

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Selected Exhibitions Continued 2016 2016 2016 2016 2015 2015 2015 2014 2012-2014 2012 2012 2011 2011 2011 2011 2010 2010 2009 2008 2008 2008 2007 2007 2007 2006 2005 2005

2005 2005 2004

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“Fall Salon,” Group, Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Director’s Choice Artists,” Oconee County Arts Foundation, Oconee, GA. “Spectra: Faculty Exhibition,” Dodd Galleries, University of Georgia, Athens, GA. “Playtime - Margaret Morrison,” Kimmel Center NYU/ New York University, NYC. “Both Ways,” Margaret Morrison and Susan Breen, Woodward Gallery, NYC. “UConn Reads: Inspired by the Omnivore’s Dilemma,” The William Benton MUSEUM of Art, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT. “Sweet Sensations,” The William Benton MUSEUM of Art at University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT. “Face to Face: Wall to Wall,” Yellowstone Art MUSEUM, Billings, MT. Margaret Morrison featured in the United Nation’s Art in Embassies Program, Tel Aviv Embassy, Tel Aviv, Israel.

“Margaret Morrison: Child’s Play,” Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Margaret Morrison: Trick or Treat Paintings,” Gourmet Garage, SoHo, presented by Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Margaret Morrison Still Life: Breaking New Ground,” Flinn Gallery, Greenwich, CT. “Spectacle: Paintings by Margaret Morrison,’ Roy C. Moore Art Gallery at Gainesville State College, Oakwood, GA. “Margaret Morrison: Flower Paintings,” Lobby of the Four Seasons Restaurant, 99 East 52nd Street, organized and curated by Director John Woodward, Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Still Life,” Flinn Gallery, Greenwich Library, Greenwich, CT. “Margaret Morrison: Sweet & Sexy,” Gourmet Garage, SoHo, presented by Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Margaret Morrison: A Survey” Lobby of ICM/ International Creative Management Agency curated by Director John Woodward, Woodward Gallery, NYC “Margaret Morrison: Larger Than Life,” Woodward Gallery, NYC “Margaret Morrison: Director’s Choice,” Curated by Director Joe Ruiz, Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation, Watkinsville, GA. “Faculty Exhibition,” Group, Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia, Athens, GA. “Works on Paper,” Group, Woodward Gallery at the Park Avenue Armory, NYC. “Free Play,” Group, Curated by Judith Page, Islip Art MUSEUM, East Islip, NY. “Visual Noise,” Group, University Memorial Center (UMC) Art Gallery, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO. “Margaret Morrison: Large Still Life Paintings,” Gourmet Garage, SoHo presented by Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Margaret Morrison: The Power of Observation- a Retrospective of Paintings,” University of Georgia, Broad Street Gallery, Athens, GA. “Write A Beautiful World” Group, National Arts Club, NYC. “Winter Paper Seven,” Group, including works on paper by Jean Michel Basquiat, Alexander Calder, Richard Estes, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Tom Wesselmann, and others, Woodward Gallery, NYC “Margaret Morrison: Patron Saints and Rituals,” Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Margaret Morrison: Still-Lifes” Gourmet Garage, SoHo, presented by Woodward Gallery, NYC. “The Art of Restoring Lives-to Benefit Wears Valley Ranch,” Featured Artist, Atlanta, GA.

Selected Exhibitions Continued 2003 2003 2003 2003 2002 2001 2001 2000 2000

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“Margaret Morrison: Centricity,” Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Paper Invitational VI,” Group, including works on paper by Andy Warhol, Robert Indiana, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein and others; Woodward Gallery, NYC “Georgia Review Artists,” Group, Mercury Fine Arts, Athens, GA. “Museum Auction and Gala,” Huntsville MUSEUM of Art, Huntsville, AL. “Paper Invitational V,” Group, including works on paper by Andy Warhol, Robert Indiana, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein and others; Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Paper Invitational IV,” Group, including works on paper by Ellsworth Kelly, Keith Haring, Robert Rauschenberg, and others; Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Margaret Morrison STILL/David Febland LIFE,” Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Margaret Morrison: The Theory of Flight and Painting,” Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Paper Invitational III,” Group, including works on paper by Basquiat, Keith Haring, Robert Indiana, Jasper Johns, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Motherwell, Betty Parsons, Andy Warhol and others; Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Femalenergy II,” Group, Leading Woman Artists, Woodward Gallery, NYC “Paper Invitational II,” Group, including works on paper by Keith Haring, Robert Indiana, Robert Motherwell, Roy Lichtenstein, Leon Polk Smith, Andy Warhol, and others; Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Paper Invitational,” Group, including works on paper by Alexander Calder, M.C. Escher, Sam Francis, Keith Haring, Jasper Johns, Knox Martin, Andy Warhol, and others; Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Margaret Morrison: American Life,” Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Margaret Morrison,” Gallery at the Roundabout in Times Square in collaboration with Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Margaret Morrison: Prophesy Paintings,” Woodward Gallery, NYC. “Artifacts,” Pleiades Gallery, New York, NY. “Three Artists,” GOLA/ Woodward Gallery, NYC. “A Moment Before,” Monongalia Art Center, Morgantown, WV. “Margaret Morrison: Figurative Paintings,” Atrium Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT. “University of Utah Faculty Exhibit,” Group, Utah MUSEUM of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City,UT. “Utah Painting and Sculpture,” Traveling exhibition sponsored by the Utah Arts Council, UT. “Utah ‘88 Painting and Sculpture,” Salt Lake Art Center, MUSEUM, Salt Lake City, UT. “The Medium is The Message,” Bountiful-Davis Art Center, MUSEUM, Bountiful, UT. “Margaret Morrison: Paintings and Drawings,” Gittins Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT. “Works on Paper,” Juried by Robert Henning, Jr., Chief Curator of the Santa Barbara MUSEUM of Art, Salt Lake Art Center, Salt Lake City, UT, “Works on Paper,” Juried by Robert Henning Jr., Chief Curator of the Santa Barbara MUSEUM of Art, Juror Award and Utah Arts Council Purchase Award, Salt Lake Art Center, Salt Lake City, UT. “AAVA Utah Women Artists,” Group, Utah MUSEUM of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT. “Utah ‘82,” Group, Utah MUSEUM of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT. “Competition,” Group, Bountiful-Davis Art Center, MUSEUM, Bountiful, UT.

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