“in · ter · course” is a collection of Herb Alpert’s newest paintings and sculptures on view at the Robert Berman Gallery in the Bergamot Station Arts Center through June 8, 2013.
An opening reception was held opening day on May 4.
A video and catalogue accompany the exhibit.
In addition to his musical accomplishments, Alpert has spent more than half his life as a respected abstract expressionist painter and sculptor, whose work has been exhibited all over the world, from New York to Berlin.
Since he began painting in 1969, Alpert has experimented with a number of different styles and materials, perhaps none more unusual than his current medium of choice: organic coffee.
Alpert’s sculptures, particularly his towering “Black Totems” series, continue to draw interest with their freedom of form and massive size, with some pieces reaching 18 feet in height.
The totems were inspired by indigenous sculptural forms from the Pacific Northwest. What begin as hand–sized forms are scaled up and cast as ten to 18 foot high monoliths.
Acknowledging totemic explorations by fellow sculptors Henry Moore, Augusts Rodin, Constantin Brancusi and others, Alpert’s soaring forms appear as frozen smoke, or jazz given physical form.
Just as the origins of Herb Alpert’s music with the Tijuana Brass can be traced back to a Tijuana bullfight, his start as a painter likewise began with a trip south of the border.
Though Alpert’s work as an abstract expressionist painter has been inspired by a number of different sources over the years, he cites his single greatest influence as artist Rufino Tamayo, whose work first sparked his interest in painting in 1963.
Alpert’s paintings and sculptures have been exhibited at numerous galleries and museums: including the Tennessee State Museum, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Art Cologne, Art Fair Basel, Molly Barnes Gallery, Santa Monica and Ace Gallery Beverly Hills.
Herb Alpert’s philosophy as an artist has generally been to create from a purely internal place; “the feel,” as he calls it.
The gallery at Bergamot Station Arts Center, 2525 Michigan Avenue, Santa Monica, is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am to 6 pm and by appointment 310.315.1937.
For more information, visit www.robertbermangallery.com or www.herbalpert.com.
