Venue ready for Marvin Lowe experience

Marvin Lowe went through various changes in medium throughout his course as an artist.

He started exploring the art of intaglio prints, then transitioned to mixed media pieces much larger in scale before finally working in more abstract ways.

The Venue Fine Art & Gifts will display some of Lowe’s large-scale collages starting today.

A reception will take place at 6 p.m. to mark the opening of the exhibit titled “The Art of Marvin Lowe, A Master Artist.”

Dave Coleman, show organizer and assistant curator for The Venue, said the pieces set to be on display are from the period of Lowe’s career during the 1980s and are good examples of some of the artist’s finest work.

“These pieces are heavily layered, dynamic, committed to composition,” Coleman said.

He added that all of Lowe’s work was not only visually intriguing, but interesting in terms of content as well.

Lowe worked in the School of Fine Arts Printmaking Department, but his interests reached far beyond his visual craft.

Professor Emeritus Rudy Pozzatti was the head of the Printmaking Department while Lowe was there.

He said Lowe’s passion for art, literature, music and science combined to yield an extremely unique teacher.

“Marvin was a man with many talents. His first great talent was a musician,” Pozzatti said.

Lowe perfected his skills as a jazz saxophonist while studying at The Juilliard School.

“He asked the students about the books they were reading, the music they were listening to. It’s important to have someone of the faculty that can go beyond the expectations,” Pozzatti said. “He was a very important element to our program.”

The collages that will be displayed at The Venue are also available for sale.

Coleman said there will be a mixed crowd at the show Friday, guessing that for some it will be seeing the art of an old friend, but for others it will be the discovery of a new artist.  

Regardless of their familiarity with Lowe, Coleman said all patrons will get the same unique opportunity.

“All will get the rare chance to own a work from an original master artist,” Coleman said.

“Lowe is both a known and an unknown gem in Bloomington, a maker of museum-quality works.”