The Portland Public Art Committee will commemorate the acquisition of several works by Maine artist Bernard Langlais, including sculptures, wood reliefs, abstract works, and bird houses gifted to the City of Portland from the Kohler Foundation. The event will take place on Thursday, September 18th at the Portland Public Library, Rines Auditorium, 5 Monument Way, at 5:00 pm. It is free and open to the public.
Artist Bernard Langlais forged his early career in Europe and New York City, successfully exhibiting paintings and abstract reliefs. His rustic sensibilities and desire to work on a larger scale brought him back to Maine in the late 1960s. In the last eleven years of his life, he created a lively art environment on his property in Cushing, comprising more than 100 outdoor pieces.
A lecture will be presented by Hannah W. Blunt, Langlais Curator for Special Projects at the Colby College Museum of Art. In her lecture, Blunt will trace the remarkable evolution of Langlais’s work and career, detailing the artist’s search for deep connections to his environment, and his passionate reconciliation of art and place.
