The Ann Street Gallery is pleased to present its newest exhibition Bill Yost: A Retrospective
Staff | March 6, 2012 | Comment
This first major gallery exhibition devoted to the full scope of the artistic career of multi-media artist William Yost (1944-2011) focuses on the diverse body of work from the 1960’s to 2011. Mr. Yost was born in Albert Lea, MN in 1944. He attended Minnesota State University receiving a Bachelor of Science and Master of Fine Arts with a concentration in painting and Art History. After graduation, Yost accepted the position of Cultural Arts Director at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he resided over the 4,400 seat Eisenhower Hall Theatre. His other responsibilities included: the internationally renowned performing arts series, the Class of 1929 Art Gallery and West Point’s poly arts agenda. Yost held this position from 1976 until his retirement in 2006.
In this retrospective exhibition, we get a unique look at the types of work in Yost’s rich and diverse oeuvre. Works from the artist’s family and private collections are brought together for the first time and will occupy the entire gallery space. Represented in the exhibition are his familiar iconic pieces such as Doppelgangers, as well as rarely seen abstracts and his last works: the Contextual Series. Gallery visitors will have an unparalleled opportunity to study the artist’s development over six decades, beginning with his early abstract and minimalist works exhibited in Minnesota (1960) before he moved to New York (1976), and concluding with his final works, the contextual paintings (2011).
The exhibition highlights a wide variety of work, representing nearly every type of work Yost made, in both technique and subject matter, including a diverse selection of paintings, sculptures, drawings and watercolours. Among these works are in-depth presentations of all his most important series ranging from the Minimalist Paintings Series (1966-2011), the celebrated Fish Series (1990’s), Sculpture and Cane and Able Series (1990-2001) the artist’s most famous, landmark pieces Doppelgangers (2001-2011), culminating with the breakthrough Contextual Paintings Series, a project which had recently occupied the artist (2008-2011).
For anyone who knew Bill, the exhibition is not to be missed, and for those gallery visitors unfamiliar with this artist’s work, this is a rare treat! One of the most intriguing aspects of the show is being able to see the diversity and variety of work Mr. Yost produced over a lifetime of practice. There is nearly every type of medium represented, from drawing to painting to sculpture to the use of photography, and in each work his style and perspective shines through. The whole focus of the show is really about sharing this wonderful talent with the community at large, showing in part, what would normally only have been seen in his studio.
Yost was a member of The League of American Theaters and Producers, the International Society of Performing Arts Administrators, a docent of the Storm King Art Center, a past Tony voter, and involved on the Ritz Theater Board of Directors. His honors include numerous performance awards from the United State Military Academy, a White House Commendation Award, and a Meritorious Service Award from the Department of the Army, U.S. Department of Defense. He contributed toward and guest lectured on a variety of art and theater subjects throughout The United States and Abroad. His work has been widely exhibited and is included in academic, corporate and private collections.
This exhibition is on view through Saturday, April 21, 2012.
The Ann Street Gallery is a nonprofit art gallery specializing in contemporary emerging and established artists. The gallery is located at 104 Ann Street in Newburgh, and NEW gallery hours are Wednesday and Thursday 9:00 am-5:00 pm (closed for lunch 12:30 – 1:30 pm); Friday and Saturday 11:00 am-5:00 pm.
For more information regarding Bill Yost: A Retrospective and the Ann Street Gallery, contact Virginia Walsh, Director at (845) 784-1146 or [email protected], or visit www.annstreetgallery.org.
The exhibition was curated by Virginia Walsh, Director of the Ann Street Gallery.
Image above: Bill Yost Pink and Black Contextual, Oil on Canvas