JIM RENNERT

Jim Rennert was born in 1958, and grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Salt Lake City, Utah. After ten trying years of working in business, Rennert was inspired to explore his artistic vision and embarked upon his career as a sculptor in 1990. He began exhibiting in galleries in 1993, and has since gained significant recognition.

Rennert’s seminal series of works is immediately identifiable, with simplified figures and forms depicting men in suits. Combining the traditional medium of bronze with modern forms of flat laser cut steel, he illustrates concepts of corporate success and the obstacles faced by the modern working man. Drawing on both his past professional experiences, and those of his contemporaries, Rennert composes thought-provoking works to which viewers undeniably react and relate. Early works emphasize movement and physical metaphor, while more recent pieces show the development of a more contemplative character. In 2016 Rennert also released his first series of two-dimensional works, a collection of digital drawings available as large scale prints.

Rennert continually exhibits at the major US art fairs as well as galleries in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Florida, Utah, New Mexico, Maine, Colorado, and British Columbia, with private and corporate collectors world-wide. From June 2014 through May 2015, Rennert was honored with a monumental public installation of his iconic sculpture, THINK BIG, which was on exhibition in New York City’s Union Square, in cooperation with the NYC Parks Department.

Rennert is represented by Cavalier Galleries and is currently being showcased in the Norton Museum.

ARTIST STATEMENT
For the last several years my work has focused on my past experiences in the competitive world of business. Mixing the traditional medium of bronze and contemporary forms of flat laser cut steel, I have illustrated themes and concepts of every day work life. Integrated into the various pieces are suits, ladders, briefcases, and forms representing buildings, all of which are iconic visual representations of business. The title works together with the visual image to illustrate the experience, sometimes physical, sometimes psychological. I have used sports and other physical activities as a metaphor to express the daily struggles and achievements of the contemporary businessman. I try to emphasize movement in the figures as well as some of the forms by paying particular attention to their placement in relation to each other as well as on the supporting base. This presents a strong element of design in each work.

Initially I had hoped to have depicted popular culture's ideas on achievement and success in an ironic and humorous fashion. However, over the past years, the work has taken on a more serious tone as I illustrate more about the thoughts and ideas we all deal with in our contemporary society. The work has evolved into developing a consistent character and creating an environment in which the interaction between the two, brings in the viewer. This approach seems to allow the audience an opportunity to relate to the work in a very personal manner. While not everyone wears a suit, I feel the themes transcend to the everyman.

IGOR GALANIN

Igor Galanin was born in 1937 in Moscow, Russia. He was educated and began his artistic career in the former Soviet Union by illustrating children's books and designing sets for the Moscow Ballet Theatre. Igor exhibited regularly in Moscow and illustrated more than 30 children’s books. His children’s books continue to be published in France and Russia today. In 1972, Igor immigrated first to Rome, Italy, where he had his first international solo show, and subsequently to New York, where he initially continued with illustration work for The Macmillan Company producing a series of children’s fairy tales. In 1975, Igor had a solo exhibit at the Red Barn Gallery on Fisher's Island, New York and was selected to participate in the Young Artist's Exhibit in Boston's Rose Museum. This led to his first New York group show at the Andre Emmerich Gallery, a series of solo exhibits at the Pucker Safrai Gallery in Boston, and to his long association with Jean Aberbach (Aberbach Gallery) and Lindsay Findlay (David Findlay Gallery), in New York. In addition to New York and Boston, Igor has exhibited in Colorado, California, Florida, Texas, Maine, and Montreal, Canada. His work has been featured in Elle Magazine, The Yale Literary Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, Penthouse Forum, and the New York Times.

BJORN SKAARUP

Bjorn Skaarup holds a MA in History and Art History from the University of Copenhagen, and a PHD in History from the European University Institute in Florence, Italy. Skaarup has also furthered his education with post-doctoral studies at the Warburg Institute, London and Columbia University, New York

In addition to his career as a self-taught sculptor, Skaarup has written and illustrated numerous books on historical, archaeological, and anatomical subjects. Skaarup’s unique sculptures draw inspiration from classical mythology, late Renaissance, as well as 20th century American pop culture, while reinterpreting both classical and modern artistic themes.

"My animal sculptures represent a number of characters that have been given man-made and cultural tools and attributes that underline their particular traits – the dignity and supremacy of the majestic lion, the chivalrous nature of the ermine, the speed of the cheetah, the height of the giraffe, and the heavenly aspirations of the ostrich... The sculptures are a celebration of life and nature and its many intriguing shapes and creatures, all placed in peculiar and surreal encounters between nature and culture. The result is a group of bronze sculptures that combines the gracious and exclusive with the communicative, distorted and humorous."