Fred Joel Larson: A Celebration of Life and Art

Fred Joel Larson: A Celebration of Life and Art

January 17 – February 11, 2023

Public Reception

Saturday, January 21, 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Join us in celebrating the life and work of Fred Joel Larson. That same evening visit the exhibition A Tender Spirit, A Vital Form: Arlene Burke-Morgan & Clarence Morgan in the Katherine E. Nash Gallery.

Fred Joel Larson (1947-2020) graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1997. He continued his studies of studio art at the University of Saint Thomas and from 2007 to 2020 he was active in the Department of Art at the University of Minnesota through the College of Continuing and Professional Studies. Larson considered himself a printmaker, but he also worked extensively in digital media, site-specific installation, language, and ideas. The exhibition also includes a selection of works by Larson’s friend, David Moore, Jr. 

Read more about Fred's time at Regis in this article featuring remembrances from his family and friends.

Fred Joel Larson was mesmerized by poetry and philosophy. He was inspired by Abstract Expressionism and the sublime scribble. His artwork expresses these qualities. Throughout his life his art included airbrush, pastels, and pen and ink. During the last 15 years he was focused on photography, papermaking, printmaking, and digital composition. Fred’s artwork was very personal, and it was rarely shared. He was consumed by reading and the acquisition of knowledge. Fred was a quiet and private man with rigorous work habits but rarely believed his work was complete. We are happy to honor him and show his work in this exhibition.

 

Robin Larson, daughter of Fred Joel Larson

David Moore, Jr. earned an AB in Visual and Environmental Studies from Harvard College, initially studying scenic design before switching to drawing and painting with Dimitri Hadzi and Flora Natapoff. At the Yale School of Drama he studied dramaturgy and dramatic criticism. Moore continued his study of studio art at the New York Studio School and at the University of Minnesota, where he became friends with Fred Joel Larson.

Most of my studio work since 2017 has centered on several large still lifes incorporating classical plaster casts and statuary with abandoned mechanical parts, toy medieval knights, old curtains, candlesticks, bottles, gourds and so on. Often their arrangements remind me of the scale models I built decades ago when designing stage settings for theatrical productions. As my spatial and visual experience has grown, so has my rendering of color. Transcribing what I see, I employ inevitable accidents of hue, light, scale and metaphor in search of formal structure.

 

David Moore, Jr.

To see more of Fred Joel Larson's work, visit joelego.tumblr.com. To see more of David Moore, Jr.'s work, visit mooreart55.com.