Mackey Gallery in East Hampton, New York is pleased to present Cocktails & Conversation: An Art Talk with Curator Elizabeth Vranka on the work of 20th century Long Island artist Arthur Pinajian (1914-1999). The exhibition brings Pinajian’s paintings for a rare appearance on the North Shore and includes never before seen works from the collection. In examining the strength of Pinajian’s paintings, the esteemed art historian Dr. William Innes Homer associated Pinajian with a number of prominent New York Abstract Expressionists, such as William de Kooning, Franz Kline and Philip Guston, and called Pinajian “a creative force” who “can be ranked among the best artists of his era.”
Pinajian’s first studio was among the artist colony in Woodstock, New York, where his early work pulls on cubist references. It was during these formative years that Pinajian wrestled with his own unique style as a modern artist. His figurative and abstract paintings encompass several distinct and varied periods ranging from lush lyrical landscapes to geometric abstraction while conveying a playful yet colorfully fierce urgency to uncover all the facets of his own explorations. “It is satisfying to contemplate his more successful works, doubly so because they capture the excitement of visual modernism and exude a painterly integrity that is rare in our time,” stated Homer.
The talk will be given by Elizabeth Shaghalian Vranka, the former executive director of OSilas Gallery at Concordia College (Bronxville). In 2018, Vranka brought “The Pinajian Discovery: An Artist’s Life Revealed” to OSilas Gallery in Westchester. Then in 2022, she curated “The Art of Arthur Pinajian” at J. Mackey Gallery in East Hampton, NY, which featured works spanning over 40 years in the exhibition.
The public is invited to a talk and reception at Maura Torpe Designs, 4 Birch Hill Rd. in Locust Valley, NY on April 11, 2024 at 6–8 p.m., during which curator Vranka will discuss the works on view and the artistic life of Pinajian. To register for the reception, please go to jmackeygallery.com or email ah@njcaine.com.
ABOUT THE CURATOR
Elizabeth Shaghalian Vranka served as the executive director of OSilas Gallery at Concordia College (Bronxville) from 2016 to 2021. As executive director, Vranka was responsible for creating a calendar of diverse, high quality exhibitions and organized or co-organized several of the gallery’s shows. Vranka counts the highly-acclaimed “Young, Gifted and Black: The Lumpkin-Boccuzzi Family Collection of Contemporary Art,” which kicked off its national tour at OSilas Gallery, among the most important exhibitions that she brought to OSilas Gallery. In 2018, Vranka worked with Peter Hastings Falk and the Pinajian Collection to present “The Pinajian Discovery: An Artist’s Life Revealed,” which featured the abstract expressionist works of the talented yet obscure Pinajian. Prior to being hired as executive director, Vranka served on the Gallery’s Board of Advisors from 2013, becoming the Board chair in 2015.
Vranka is a lawyer by training and worked most of her professional career as a Wall Street lawyer. She practiced and lived in New York, Hong Kong and Singapore and lived abroad with her family in London for several years. Vranka has served on the boards of several not-for-profit organizations in her community since returning to the United States. Elizabeth has a B.S. from Cornell University and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law. A former resident of Bronxville, she currently lives in Rhode Island.
ABOUT THE GALLERY
Mackey Gallery brings original works to the Hamptons community. The gallery represents emerging as well as established artists and is committed to fostering the impact art has to aesthetically enhance spaces, provoke thought and stimulate the senses.
Reflecting the spirit of the Hamptons as a place of serenity, natural beauty and vibrant colors, J. Mackey Gallery strives to ensure the artwork represented is accessible to the public while creating an inviting and unique visitor experience and place of reflection.
The gallery is open to the public Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m. and by appointment. The J. Mackey Collection is also available in Palm Beach, FL, Locust Valley, NY and Bronxville, NY. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please visit jmackeygallery.com or contact Justine McEnerney at 917-592-8568 or jm@jmackeygallery.com.
Guest contributions to the Armenian Weekly are informative articles or press releases written and submitted by members of the community.
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