Arts and Entertainment

'Artes Exempli' to open June 7 in Robeson Gallery

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The HUB-Robeson Galleries will be hosting "Artes Exempli," an exhibition of examples of 19th- and 20th-century European paintings from the collection of Wolfgang and Brigitte Gunter, from June 7 through July 24 in the Robeson Gallery. A public reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. June 16. 

Examples of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism and Surrealism, supplemented by videos and informational charts, provide the viewer with a crash course in European art history. The featured paintings, all completed by one very adaptive painter, closely mimic the painting styles of the ‘greats,’ including Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian, Salvador Dali, René Magritte and many others.

Wolfgang and Brigitte’s collection of fine art copies began while the two were living in China. During a trip to one of the numerous Chinese art markets, the couple came across a talented young artist. Wolfgang asked her to copy one of his favorite Picasso paintings. Shortly thereafter, the three worked together for almost five years to produce approximately 100 paintings of various artists and movements. 

Wolfgang Gunter, a native of Cologne, Germany, received his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Cologne in 1976. His 30-year career in the chemical industry took him around the world, from Germany to Brussels, to the United States and China. After retiring in 2003, he returned to the United States with his wife, Brigitte. Wolfgang’s love of art began at a young age, and he is now an avid art lover and collector. He is also a dive master, a hobby cook and a close follower of astronomy and science in general.

The Robeson Gallery is located on the lower level of the HUB-Robeson Center at University Park. Summer hours for the HUB-Robeson Galleries are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; exhibits are closed on Sundays and Mondays. 

For more information on this and other exhibitions, contact the HUB-Robeson Galleries at 814-865-2563 or visit http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/hub/artgalleries/.

"Girl Before A Mirror," originally by Pablo Picasso, was the first painting commissioned by the Gunters and began their collection of fine art copies. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated June 6, 2016