The State Historical Society of Missouri

The vibrant colors and intriguing perspectives of nationally known watercolorist Keith Crown will be on display in the Main Gallery of The State Historical Society of Missouri beginning on February 6, 2009, in Keith Crown: A Retrospective.  The exhibit will feature works from the Society’s collection, the artist’s personal holdings, and those held by private collectors in celebration of Crown’s 90th birthday.

            A Retrospective will showcase the art of a man who has called Columbia home for 25 years: works of oil, watercolor, and painted ceramics.  After earning degrees from the Art Institute of Chicago and serving in World War II, Crown taught art at the University of Southern California for 37 years, served as president of the National Watercolor Society, and helped found the Los Angeles chapter of Artist’s Equity.  He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Watercolor USA Honor Society in 2003.  Crown’s work hangs in museums and art centers across the country.  He has been the subject of a biography, Keith Crown Watercolors, by Sheldon Reich, and his paintings and influences have been discussed by many authors during his career.

            “Like the American landscape painters John Marin and Charles Burchfield,” Crown said, “I try to make visible the invisible elements of nature: various wind, moisture, temperature, odors and sounds that are specific to a particular place at a particular time.”

Keith Crown: A Retrospective will be on display through June 6, 2009.  The State Historical Society of Missouri is located in Ellis Library at the intersection of Hitt Street and Lowry Mall on the University of Missouri campus, with parking available in three nearby garages.