MoNA: Robert Flynn, From the Permanent Collection
Name:
MoNA: Robert Flynn, From the Permanent Collection
Date:
March 26, 2016 - June 12, 2016
Website:
http://www.monamuseum.org
Event Description:
Robert Flynn: Art from the Permanent Collection is a celebration of the prolific career of this
Pacific Northwest artist. Born in 1930, Flynn worked in the Seattle area for 17 years and then another 40
years on the island of Kauai, where he still creates art today. A sculptor, painter, and printmaker, he is
self-trained and taught art at both a junior college and at a night school. Originally employed as a sign
painter with a pictorial style, Flynn decided to leave this profession in order to devote more time to his
art, all with the tremendous support of his wife, Sharon.
In letter to the curator for the exhibit, Flynn recounts how he “was blown away seeing Jackson
Pollock’s work at Seattle Art Museum” sometime in the 1950s. He lists many international modern and
contemporary artists and writers as inspiration for his work, but places a heavy emphasis on Pollock and
the romantic and tonal painter Albert Pinkham Ryder. This exhibit will both sculpture and paintings,
many of which are abstract. The viewer will be able to observe both the thick paint strokes of Ryder,
drops reminiscent of Pollock, and many other Modern art techniques and styles that Flynn made his
own throughout his career.
Pacific Northwest artist. Born in 1930, Flynn worked in the Seattle area for 17 years and then another 40
years on the island of Kauai, where he still creates art today. A sculptor, painter, and printmaker, he is
self-trained and taught art at both a junior college and at a night school. Originally employed as a sign
painter with a pictorial style, Flynn decided to leave this profession in order to devote more time to his
art, all with the tremendous support of his wife, Sharon.
In letter to the curator for the exhibit, Flynn recounts how he “was blown away seeing Jackson
Pollock’s work at Seattle Art Museum” sometime in the 1950s. He lists many international modern and
contemporary artists and writers as inspiration for his work, but places a heavy emphasis on Pollock and
the romantic and tonal painter Albert Pinkham Ryder. This exhibit will both sculpture and paintings,
many of which are abstract. The viewer will be able to observe both the thick paint strokes of Ryder,
drops reminiscent of Pollock, and many other Modern art techniques and styles that Flynn made his
own throughout his career.
