Amy Cutler

First museum exhibition of works by renowned artist Amy Cutler opens March 10 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

The dreamlike world of internationally renowned artist Amy Cutler comes to life in the first traveling museum exhibition to focus on the artist’s work. Organized by the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) as part of the Forefront series, Cutler will be in view from March 10 through June 4, 2006.

Inspired by stories and images encountered in current events, art history, folktales, Army survival manuals and personal experiences, Amy Cutler creates exquisitely detailed paintings. Visitors to the exhibition will have an unprecedented opportunity to view recurring themes in the artist’s scenes of women, animals and hybrid beings engaged in magical, dreamlike activities. This extensive display of works by Cutler – in media including gouache on paper, paint on wood panel and graphite drawings – unites more than 50 pieces from the IMA collection and other lenders across the country.

“Amy Cutler has a rapidly growing international audience,” said Lisa Freiman, curator of contemporary art at the IMA. “Through our expanded galleries and enhanced Forefront series, the IMA now has the opportunity to present the works of new and significant artists like Amy Cutler, reflecting our commitment to becoming a new and important destination for world-class contemporary art. “

Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1974, Cutler earned her BFA from The Cooper Union School of Art in New York City in 1997, followed by study at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Skowhegan, Maine. She began exhibiting her work in New York City and Boston in 1998–1999, and her reputation as a fine artist was quickly established.

Cutler’s artwork lures the viewer into a mysterious world populated by women, some with elongated noses, teakettle heads, broomstick arms or wearing altered hoop skirts. According to Freiman, Cutler’s works encourage viewers to engage intimately with their highly detailed imagery, undefined contexts and the feeling that time is frozen.

“Cutler’s delightful world of ambiguity is tied to our everyday lives and fantasies,” said Freiman. “She revels in leaving the responsibility of interpretation with the viewer.”

In connection with the opening of the exhibition, the IMA has co-published, with German publisher and distributor Hatje Cantz, the first book devoted to the artist’s work. Written by Freiman, the 112-page catalog, Amy Cutler, includes the essay “The Marvelous World of Amy Cutler” and rich color images of her works. Amy Cutler will be available for purchase at the IMA Store. The book is available internationally through Hatje Cantz and its affiliated distributors.

After its premiere at the IMA, the Amy Cutler exhibition will travel to the David Winton Bell Gallery at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, where it will be on view from November 4 through December 22, 2006.

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Amy Cutler