Cincinnati Modern: Art & Design at Mid-Century : Curated by David Lusenhop

Two new exhibitions open the summer season at the Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Art Gallery: Cincinnati Modern: Art & Design at Mid-Century, a fascinating historical survey of the period from 1939 to 1960 when Cincinnati actively engaged a modern aesthetic; and here, a sculpture installation by Cincinnati artist Keith Benjamin that transforms mundane materials into imaginative and contemplative sculptures.

Organized by independent curator David Lusenhop of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Modern: Art & Design at Mid-Century focuses on the period in which Cincinnati first embraced modern art, design and architecture. Beginning in 1939 with the formation of the Modern Art Society, the exhibition traces the significant Cincinnati figures and events related to the acceptance of a modern aesthetic.

Paintings, prints, photographs, furniture, architectural designs, books and catalogues created by local, regional and national artists, as well as designers and architects working during the period will be featured. Represented in the exhibition are: Herbert Barnett, John Becker, Gordon Burdick, Robert Cato, Ralston Crawford, Edward Dwight, Ruth Roudebush Dwight, Woodie Garber, Charles Harper, Edith Harper, William Leonard, Fred Lewy, Noel Martin, Coletta Martin, Preston McClanahan, Daniel Ransohoff, George Rosenthal, Ray Roush, Maybelle Stamper, Carl Strauss and Margaret Wenstrup. A full-color exhibition catalogue accompanies the exhibition.

David Lusenhop is an independent art dealer and curator specializing in American modern art from 1920 to 1960. Since 1994 he has organized and curated exhibitions for various public arts institutions including: the Southern Ohio Museum, Portsmouth, Oh.; the Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield, Oh.; the Riffe Gallery, Columbus, Oh.; and the Cranbrook Academy Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.