Alexander Gassel, Madonna of Tenderness, 2020
After being closed for some time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Museum of Russian Icons (MoRI) in Clinton, MA is reopening to the public on March 5, with a new retrospective exhibition of Alexander Gassel’s contemporary works, titled “Painted Poetry.” The upcoming exhibition will feature a gorgeous selection of Gassel’s vivid paintings combining traditional Russian iconography with avant-garde, modern-day subjects with ancient symbols. It will be on view at the Museum of Russian Icons through September 26, 2021.
Painted Poetry: Alexander Gassel’s Retrospective Exhibition
Alexander Gassel is a Russian-born American artist and designer, whose work represents a perfect blend of contemporary imagery, Biblical narratives, and ancient icon painting techniques. His art is a somewhat synthesis of Malevich’s complex formal structures, Kandinsky’s saturated color schemes, Chagall’s narrative genre scenes, and Erté’s Art Deco designs. Elegant and harmonious, Gassel’s works feature many different elements that form the artist’s distinctive, sophisticated style reflecting both his life experience in America and his Russian cultural heritage.
“Painted Poetry” is a new retrospective exhibition of Alexander Gassel’s contemporary paintings made with egg tempera on board, a traditional icon painting technique. “Painted Poetry” features Gassel’s works in different genres, some displayed with excerpts from his short stories to reveal the artist’s ability as a storyteller in both image and word. The exhibition is curated by Lana Sloutsky, Curator of Collection and Exhibitions at the Museum of Russian Icons.
Alexander Gassel, Country Life, 2010
Alexander Gassel’s extraordinarily vivid paintings have been exhibited at numerous exhibitions and are in many collections worldwide, including that of the Vatican. His art incorporates a variety of styles, themes, and techniques inspired by the Italian Renaissance, traditional Orthodox religious icons, European Post-Impressionism, and avant-garde. The artist paints with egg yolk tempera and often applies silver and gold leaf to his works, which makes them so compelling and powerful.
Alexander Gassel, Girl and the Elves, 2005
“Painted Poetry” will open for in-person viewing on March 5, but it can already be enjoyed online. You can visit the virtual retrospective exhibition of Alexander Gassel’s art on the official website of the Museum of Russian Icons.