Lecture Open to Public

At Pratt Institute on Thursday, Dec. 3, renowned artist Eric Fischl will speak as part of the sixteenth annual Pratt President’s Lecture Series.

The 6 p.m. lecture titled “How Painting Died� will be free and open to the public in Memorial Hall Auditorium. However, seating is limited and an RSVP is required by end of day Wednesday.

Fischl’s lecture will examine the evolution of art within the context of nearly 100 years of avant-garde thinking.

For instance, in 1881 Vincent van Gogh cut off his ear; the act of self-mutilation was not considered art though his self-portrait with a bandaged ear was considered art. In 1971, Chris Burden shot himself in the arm and his performance of self-mutilation was considered art. The photo documentation about it is not considered art.

Fischl’s figurative artwork explores dysfunctional suburban family life with a focus on human interaction, memory and body language.

“Eric Fischl’s cinematic, psychologically charged paintings of domestic sex scenes in the ‘80s were exceptional for their Freudian candor,� wrote art critic Ken Johnson in a 2009 New York Times article on erotic art.

Fischl has had numerous solo and group exhibitions. His paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints can be found in public and private collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art and Museum of Modern Art (MoMa).

After earning his BFA in 1972 at the recently opened California Institute of the Arts, he moved to Chicago where he worked as a guard at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

“The underbelly, carnie world of Ed Paschke and the hilarious sexual vulgarity of Jim Nutt were revelatory experiences for me,� Fischl has said.

In 1974, he landed a job teaching painting at the highly touted Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. It is there that he met his future wife, the painter, April Gornik. In 1978 they moved to New York City, where Fischl was born. They continue to live and work here.

Memorial Hall Auditorium is located on Ryerson Walk on Pratt’s Brooklyn Campus. Visitors can enter campus at the main gate at Hall Street and DeKalb Avenue.

Members of the public may reserve seats by emailing events@pratt.edu by Wednesday, December 2.

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