BEMIDJI — Not every gallery exhibit lets viewers trace an artists’ evolving style, but Bemidji State University’s Talley Gallery will showcase the journey of one of the most celebrated artists in Minnesota.
Marley Kaul: Retrospective opens Thursday, Sept. 4, and features works from Marley Kaul’s entire career, with pieces from the ‘60s to 2020. Some have never been showcased before.
Steve Kaul, Marley’s son, describes his father’s work as a mastery of color. Marley started out abstract in his work but became more symmetrical and iconic as the years went by, with an emphasis on movement and space.
“He knew how to lead the eye around and create this sense of flow almost like water flowing through a river or a current,” Steve said.
The exhibit features pieces from each decade of Marley’s life as sort of a companion piece for a new book on Marley’s work called Paintings. It features work from his time teaching at BSU, some smaller pieces he made in the '70s and '80s, pieces inspired by his time in Norway, and some big canvas work from the '90s.
“You'll see incredible works that I hadn't seen ... and I grew up with him, so I can guarantee that there are works that people have not seen,” Steve said.
Marley created over 500 pieces in his lifetime, so the selection process for the exhibit and book was a large task. Marley had begun selecting works for the book before he died in 2021.
Steve added, “We carried on with that process and we discovered the works that we had at the studio that weren't in frames, but were absolutely beautiful. So, we began photographing those and then people started letting us know about other works and we discovered things as we went along. It was quite a long process.”
Steve also said Sandy Kaul, Marley’s partner in life and artistic foil, was a real guiding light for this project. Together, along with Steve’s sister Allison, they sorted through all the pieces to finish the project.
The Talley Gallery seemed like the perfect place to host this exhibit, because Marley taught at BSU for 34 years. Not only was he a distinguished professor, but he also had a lot of students that went on to make their own mark in the art world. Steve added Talley Gallery Director Alice Blessing played a big role, not only in getting this show together but also getting paintings stretched for the exhibit.
The opening reception for the exhibit will be 4-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, and free for the public to attend at the Talley Gallery. The book Paintings will be released Oct. 1 and available on most online retail sites. There will also be a book launch party on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at the Watermark Art Center.
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
