Balet art exhibit opens at SUNY Adirondack
QUEENSBURY, N.Y. » Lithographs and associated watercolor renderings by German-born artist Jan Balet (1913-2009) are on exhibit at SUNY Adirondack in Queensbury through Nov. 8.
A formal reception at the college’s Visual Arts Gallery in Dearlove Hall is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 13.
The exhibit, called “What Was He Thinking?” is curated by Sheldon Hurst, SUNY Adirondack professor emeritus.
Peter Balet, of Saratoga Springs, has spent many years developing avenues to broaden audiences in the U.S. for his late father’s work. He and his wife, Marie, established the Jan Balet Art Preservation LLC to expand interest in and enjoyment of the full breadth of Jan Balet’s art.
“We hope this exhibition will allow many more people to see the works and understand the depth of Jan’s skill and lifelong dedication to art,” Peter Balet said.
The exhibit made its U.S. debut last fall in Portland, Ore. From there it was featured in the Burke Gallery at the Plattsburgh State Art Museum.
It features the artist’s humorous and personal perceptions of human relationships and situations and includes several large paintings and many miniature watercolors Balet painted as part of his inspirational process.
The juxtaposing of the watercolor sketches with the artist’s acrylic paintings and subsequent lithographs illustrates the breadth of his work and the attention he paid to detail, color, and form.
Well known for his paintings and prints, which were widely collected in Europe -- particularly in Germany, Switzerland and France -- Balet is better remembered in the U.S. for his commercial art in the mid-20th century, when he worked as an illustrator and art director in New York for the likes of CBS Television, Vogue, Seventeen, Mademoiselle a The Saturday Evening Post, a news release said.
However, the art he produced in Europe in the latter part of his life was available and collected in the U.S. The lithographs that serve as the basis for the exhibition are part of an extensive group owned by California collectors Michael and Alison Paolercio.