George Nama: 60 Years of Selected Works includes bronze sculptures as well as painted collages. Some are large, but in contrast, included are a group of small scale works from 1958, with Nama’s intent to create monumentality on an intimate scale – in notable contrast with the predominant tendency of Abstract Expressionism at that formative time.

The works of George Nama defy easy categorization. They are at once monumental and yet, ephemeral. Figuration is the root of his imagery, but Nama’s forms are as invented as any non-objective painting or drawing might be, since nature is but a starting point while poetry, music and musings are most often the catalyst in Nama’s body of work.

It’s no wonder that some of the 20^th century’s most significant artists in other media have sought to collaborate with Nama in the realization of their literary works. Among them are the great 20^th century French writer/poet, Yves Bonnefoy, Alfred Brendel, the renowned pianist and celebrated writer/poet, and Charles Simic, Pulitzer Prize winning poet laureate, former editor of The Paris Art Review, and recipient of the MacArthur ‘Genius’ grant, and George A. Romero, the profoundly influential filmmaker. Romero’s final work – a poignant short story, “Liberator” – was a collaboration with Nama’s related etchings and gouaches, which are included in this current exhibition.

Read Article by David Cross, Pasadena Now (17 Apr. 2025)

Read Review by Garrett Rowland, Colorado Boulevard (26 Mar. 2025)