NEWS RELEASE
AGORA GALLERY
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We're excited to announce that Chris Klein will be joining us for our first Artists' Talk in our new space at 100 Downie Street on Sunday, November 24 at 1 p.m.! Everyone is welcome but space is limited so please let us know via email ([email protected]) in advance if you plan to attend. You can see recent paintings by Chris in our current exhibition, Fernand Nault: A Passion, A Legacy (extended for two more weekends) and view currently available paintings by him online at https://shop-agora-gallery.ca/collections/chris-klein-2.
Chris Klein is a Montreal-based British painter who was previously Head of Scenic Art for the Stratford Festival. Many will remember his stunning solo exhibition at Agora Gallery in 2016. Since then his work has been shown widely across Europe and North America. Chris is most recognized for his series of costume paintings, primarily from theatre and film, but also from the worlds of music and fashion, as well as Royal and museum collections. In 1983 his work was accepted by the Royal Academy of Arts in London UK for their prestigious Summer Exhibition and he has since won numerous awards and been featured in many publications internationally. As well as producing his own work, he is a scenic artist for film and theatre, having created backdrops and related artwork for major productions in London's West End and Broadway, and painted for many major Hollywood films and Cirque du Soleil. For 10 years he was Head of Scenic Art at the Stratford Festival and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, which inspired him to paint costumes from the shows: this has proven to be his most popular series. However his Second Hand series of junkyard paintings shares his unique ability to paint texture, colour and light, with an industrial edge.
Artist's statement: As a scenic artist, I work closely with other departments and my costume paintings are my way of reaching out to some of the other forms of art that I am involved with. I work closely with designers,and this is my tribute to their work. It's also my tribute to the actors, performers and dancers for whom these costumes are made, and the vast array of skilled people who actually create them, cutting and stitching, embroidery, leather and metal work, the list goes on. And these costume invoke so many stories; the people who have worn them, the performances they have played and the stages they have walked.
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