The Robert Mallary show at State University College at Potsdam marks the beginning of a series of exhibitions devoted to individuals who have left a strong imprint on the American art scene.
Mallary is the first major artist to appear on the campus in this capacity. The importance of his exhibit is manifold.
First, we are directly exposed to the mature work of a vital and extremely relevant artist as it developed and changed in the last two decades. There is no better way to examine the phenomenon of creative production than to see it in retrospect.
Second, Mallary will spend several days on campus in a tutorial capacity. The span of the work shown, 1948-1968, coincides with his career as a teacher. While he is reluctant to use his own work to proselytize, he has consented, in this case, to employ the exhibition as documentary material around which to make his points.
Third, the College has purchased a major work of Mallary’s, Casanova, and the exhibition serves as an opportunity for the colleges and surrounding communities to become acquainted with and to understand this first important acquisition.
I anticipate this as the beginning of a trend in Potsdam to provide exciting and provocative works of art for all to view.