Past Exhibitions

Valley Painters: Works from the Permanent Collection

April 25, 2014 - March 8, 2015

For over 60 years, the Columbus Museum has been assembling a collection of notable art by both national and regional artists. This exhibition highlights works from the collection by some of the best-known artists, both past and present, who have lived and worked in the Chattahoochee Valley.

Atlanta-native and Talbotton artist Lamar Baker blended fantastic images with details from Southern life to produce a series of paintings inspired by traditional African-American religious songs. The first director of the Museum, Edward Shorter, was an accomplished painter of representational works; however, on display will be one of the only abstracts that he produced.

After studying in New York and Europe and traveling the world producing landscapes and figurative pieces, Henry Nordhausen moved to Columbus in 1960 to open a portrait studio. Another import to this community is Bruno Zupan; born in Trbovlje, Slovenia, he met his Columbus-native wife Jane in Paris, and they began to spend part of every year here. His works are reflections of the many places he has lived, visited and experienced.

Garry Pound is the son of artist Barbara Golden Pound and architect Murphy Pound, and his family legacy and hometown are both showcased in his paintings. Another realist painter who was born in Columbus is the nationally-renowned Bo Bartlett, who has recently been spending more time in Columbus due to the upcoming opening of a center for painters at Columbus State University that will bear his name.

Betsy Eby is a fairly new addition to the artistic community in Columbus. Trained as a classical pianist, her encaustic paintings capture the movement and rhythms found in music and the natural world around her. For many years, Columbus has been home to another encaustic painter, Marge Tilley, and her work is included among the fine pieces on display in Valley Painters.

This exhibition is made possible by the generous support from Georgia Gives Day.