Debra Force Fine Art is pleased to announce the representation of the Herman Maril Estate (1908-1986). The gallery’s inaugural exhibition of Maril’s work, Herman Maril: Color and Space, features paintings from the 1950s-1980s that encompass the artist’s penchant for the sea, landscape, and interiors in his native Maryland and summer residence on Cape Cod. Large, open areas of space and vibrant, expressive color are combined to created compositions that incorporate elements of abstraction, while remaining tied to the recognizable elements of the artist’s everyday surroundings.
Bikini Figure (1961) and Sailboat, Green Sun (1963) show Maril’s love of the sea and the relaxed atmosphere of his time spent on Cape Cod and trips to the Maine coast. Studio Corner (1977) focuses on the tools of the artist’s trade, while Blue Fish (1970) and At the Window (1958) show commercial and more domestic interior scenes. The bright flowers of Nadja’s Garden (1969) reflect his family’s home in Baltimore.
Herman Maril was born in Baltimore and studied at the Maryland Institute of Fine Arts. He worked for the WPA’s artists’ program during the Depression and created murals for the US Treasury and Labor Departments, schools, and post offices. During this period, he exhibited at museums and galleries including Painting & Sculpture from 16 American Cities at the Museum of Modern Art in 1933 and the 1939 World’s Fair in New York. After serving in the Army during World War II, he taught at the University of Maryland from 1946-1977, while continuing to paint and exhibiting his works at various prestigious art galleries including Macbeth, Babcock, Forum, and Terry Dintenfass Galleries in New York. He is represented in the collections of over 100 museums including the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Phillips Collection, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, among others.
His works on paper are the subject of a solo exhibition, Herman Maril: Strong Forms of Our Experience, currently on view at the Arkansas Arts Center through April 16, 2017 and previously at the University of Maryland Art Gallery.
Herman Maril: Color and Space will be on view at Debra Force Fine Art, Inc. from March 2 – April 24, 2017. Please contact the gallery at 212-734-3636 or info@debraforce.com for additional information about the exhibition and available works by Herman Maril.