When Larry Johnson purchased Sunset River Gallery last summer, he brought with him a collection of investment-grade 20th century and contemporary art that is now on display and for sale at the gallery in Calabash, NC. The works range from Wolf Kahn, known for his unique blend of realism combined with the formal discipline of color field painting to Hunt Slonem and his neo-expressionist oil paintings of birds, in which he uses repetition as a form of meditation.
On June 20 at 1 p.m., Johnson will present a gallery talk about the works, sharing the knowledge of why he selected the artists in the collection and how their individual artworks were chosen. The group will also tour works by Angel Botello (1913-1986), Wolf Kahn (1927-2020), Raimonds Staprans (1926), Vladimir Cora (1951), Hunt Slonem (1951), Betty Anglin Smith (1946), and sculptures by Glenna Goodacre (1939-2020) and Edward Francis McCartan (1879-1947), He and gallery director Samantha Spalti will be available to answer questions about the art works on display.
The event is free, but seating is limited. Reservations are requested. Call the gallery at 910.575.5999 during business hours, which are Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
About Sunset River Gallery
Located in coastal Brunswick County, Sunset River Gallery caters to both area visitors and a growing local community of full-time residents seeking fine art for their homes and businesses. Featuring work by over 100 fine North and South Carolina artists, the gallery is well known in the area for its collection of oil paintings, watermedia, pastels, photography, hand-blown glass, fused glass, pottery, and clay sculptures, turned and carved wood, unique home décor items and artisan jewelry.
A selection of 20th century art features investment-grade fine and modern art, primarily impressionist and abstract. Artists represented include Wolf Kahn, Emile Gruppè, Angel Botello, Raimonds Staprans, Ed Mell, Vladimir Cora, Moses Soyer, Raphael Soyer, Tadashi Asoma, Hunt Slonem, Ida Kohlmeyer, Rolph Scarlett, Jean Xceron, folk artist Mose Tolliver, and sculptors Glenna Goodacre, Milton Hebald, and Edward Francis McCartan.
There are two onsite kilns and five wheels used by the gallery’s pottery students. Art classes and workshops are currently being offered on a limited basis. Current class listings and workshops are on the gallery website, with frequent updates on the gallery Facebook page.
The gallery address is: 10283 Beach Drive SW, Calabash, NC 28467. Hours are Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, call 910.575.5999 or visit the website at sunsetrivergallery.com. Daily updates are available on the gallery’s Facebook and Instagram pages
The two new pieces at Sunset River Gallery are both early examples of his work and depict bustling city scenes. Unlike his later paintings these two are highly textured but employ his distinctive simplicity of shape (noted particularly in both his trees and structures in these cityscapes). Typically, Staprans’ earlier pieces command lower prices, so, according to gallery director Samantha Spalti, these are ideal for entry level collectors. Chinatown, oil on canvas, 20” x 16” and Cathedral, oil on canvas 25 ¼” x 22 ¼”, were both painted in the 1950s.