The La Salle University Art Museum presents the exhibition Sidney Goodman: Small Paintings, September 17 – December 10, 2010. The opening reception will be Friday, September 17, 5-7 PM. An artist’s talk is scheduled for Tuesday, October 12 at 12:30 PM. The exhibition and all programs and events are free and open to the public.

This exhibition provides a rare opportunity to see seventeen of Sidney Goodman’s smaller paintings, ranging in size from 40.5” x 12” to 8” x 6.” The works, spanning the years 1975 to 2010, demonstrate Goodman’s ability to conceive and fully realize compositions in a scaled down format. Goodman takes his subjects from everyday life, most often his family members and himself. He utilizes a rich, vibrant palette and defines his forms as areas of lightness and dark. Rather than presenting sentimental domestic scenes, however, Goodman’s images suggest narratives that are evocative and ambiguous. 

One of the most important American figurative painters of the last fifty years and arguably the greatest living Philadelphia artist, Goodman has been awarded numerous accolades over his career, notably a Whitney Museum of American Art Neysa McMein Purchase Award (1961), a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (1974), and an honorary degree by the Art Institute of Boston (1996). The La Salle University Art Museum owns several works by Goodman. His artwork has been collected by the most prestigious American museums including:  the Museum of Modern Art; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Whitney Museum of American Art; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art; and the Art Institute of Chicago. Goodman is a professor of painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts where he has taught since 1979. He was trained at the Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts).

The artist’s talk is being co-sponsored by the Fine Arts Department.

The La Salle University Art Museum is located on the lower level of Olney Hall on the campus of La Salle University at 19th St. and Olney Ave. Hours are 10 AM to 4 PM, Monday through Friday and Sundays by appointment. Admission is free, though donations are accepted. Classes and group visits by appointment. Special tours can be arranged. For further information call 215-951-1221 or visit our website at http://www.lasalle.edu/museum.