Bauhaus Seen
Painting by Richard Carter, 1972
“The connection between the cultural climate of the Bauhaus era and that of today remains uncanny. Exhibitions like “Bauhaus Seen” and the others in the Roaring Fork area commemorating the Bauhaus connection this summer will showcase this uniquely American modernist history and show how vastly important education in art, design and culture continues to be.”
Carbondale Arts presented “Bauhaus Seen”, a group exhibition featuring Bauhaus-inspired furniture makers from across the country curated by Brad Reed Nelson as well as Bauhaus-influenced painters Richard Carter and Dave Durrance June 7 through July 6, 2019.
In 2019, the Bauhaus school celebrated its 100th year. When renowned Aspenites Walter and Elizabeth Paepcke invited the famed Bauhaus designer Herbert Bayer to Aspen in the 1940s, they planted the seeds of the mountain modernism that now flourishes in both the Roaring Fork area and throughout the West.
“Bauhaus Seen” commemorated Bauhaus furniture-makers, curated by Brad Reed Nelson of Board By Design, and featured ten legendary American furniture makers and designers participating in this landmark event. All of these craftsmen and women also had connections to this valley and each artist created a piece of artwork using Bauhaus furniture as aesthetic inspiration. Featured furniture artists included Russell Baldon (CA), Vivian Beer (NH), Andy Buck (NY), Tom Loeser (WI), Wendy Maruyama (CA), Brad Reed Nelson (CO), Christopher Poehlmann (PA), Sylvie Rosenthal (WI), Jason Schneider (MI), Brent Skidmore (NC), and Mark Tan (CO).
The exhibition also brought together two Roaring Fork Valley artists who had been directly influenced by Herbert Bayer of the Bauhaus movement: Richard Carter and Dave Durrance. Carter worked with Bayer from 1972-1978 producing prints, architectural designs, sculptures, and especially paintings. During this time Carter established his own career as a painter with representation in local and national exhibitions. Durrance grew up in Aspen in the 1950’s and ‘60s, and couldn’t help be influenced by the work of Bayer and the work of other Bauhaus artists. Recently, Durrance had returned to painting full time and has participated in numerous group and solo shows throughout the valley for the last ten years.
The connection between the cultural climate of the Bauhaus era and that of today has remained uncanny. Exhibitions like “Bauhaus Seen” and the others in the Roaring Fork area commemorating the Bauhaus connection in the summer of 2019 will showcase this uniquely American modernist history and show how vastly important education in art, design and culture continues to be.
“Bauhaus Seen” was generously supported by Susan Beckerman, Bunny and Charles Burson, Isa Catto Shaw, Larry Cohen, Sara Ransford, Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, Jonathan Singer, and Ruth and John Ward.
Richard Carter
Painter, Basalt, CO
Richard Carter came to Aspen in 1971 after graduating from Villanova University. A self-trained artist, Carter was drawn to Aspen and the West by the inspirational landscape, the vibrant art scene, and a chance to develop a creative life in the dynamic, spirited community of 1970s Aspen.
Carter soon met the Bauhaus master Herbert Bayer and became his studio assistant. From 1972 into 1978, Carter worked with Bayer in the production of prints, architectural design, sculpture, tapestries, carpets, murals, and especially paintings. At the same time Carter established his own career as a painter with representation in local and national exhibitions. As a natural outgrowth of his design experience with Bayer, Carter later pursued a second career as a production designer for film. While Carter’s art and design are unmistakably his own, they carry forward the legacy of Bayer and the Bauhaus.
Carter was and remains involved in numerous community arts organizations. He was a co-founder of the Aspen Art Museum; he served as president of the Aspen Community School board; he was instrumental in starting the Art Auction at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center and sat on its board. He also served on the ArtBase board and is currently on the board of The Arts Campus at Willits.
Dave Durrance
Painter, Carbondale, CO
Dave grew up in Aspen. The Durrance family arrived in 1947 when Dave was two. While he is more widely known for his various roles in skiing as a racer, coach, and retailer, he began studying art in high school. He earned a BFA in painting at the University of Denver in 1968. That summer he had a one-man show at the Wooden Horse Gallery in the mid-valley. Growing up in Aspen in the 1950’s and ‘60s he couldn’t help being influenced by the work of Herbert Bayer, and through him the work of other Bauhaus artists.
Dave continued painting when he could, rarely showing for the next forty years. He has recently returned to painting full time and has participated in numerous group shows throughout the valley for the last ten years. Dave has been included in shows at the Red Brick Center for the Arts, The Aspen Chapel Gallery, LivAspenArt in Aspen, and the Aspen Art Museum, as well as at the Launchpad in Carbondale. He has had several one-man shows at Bonfire in Carbondale, and at Anderson Ranch.
Dave works at his studio in the Third Street Center in Carbondale, and has studied at Anderson Ranch, CMC and Carbondale Arts.
Brad Reed Nelson
Furniture Maker, Carbondale, CO
Brad Reed Nelson grew up in North Carolina, one of the capitals of American furniture. His father was a shop teacher before becoming an electrical engineer at General Eclectic. He made his first side table, with his father when he was 8 years old, and has never stopped being a maker.
He combines architecture, nature, history, contemporary culture and engineering to create furniture, accent pieces, product design, sculpture and interior space design. His focus is problem solving. He enjoys being an inventor, a mad scientist thinking of solutions for our modern problems of space, resources as well as experimenting with unique materials and processes. He has a hands-on approach dictating that whatever he may be creating, it must first work with the body, not just be beautiful to the eye. He has stated that his most successful ideas come while riding his bicycle on the trails of his hometown.
Brad Reed Nelson received his MFA in sculpture from Arizona State University. He founded Board by Design, a functional design company in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley. Brad has taught many intensives at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center. Brad was included in the Architectural Digest Home Design Show, International Contemporary Furniture Fair, Dwell in Design, and the New York Gift Show. His work has been featured in many publications, such as Woodworker’s Journal, American Craft, The Penland Book of Woodworking, Boston Globe, Aspen Peak Magazine, Aspen Magazine, Aspen Sojourner, Dwell, Los Angeles Times and Elle Decor.