Erik Olson, "Self Portrait," 2019, oil on canvas, 35.5 x 27.5 in.
The gallery is pleased to announce that five paintings by Erik Olson were recently aquired by the Art Gallery of Alberta, Calgary, Canada. Working across different mediums, inclulding painting, sculpture, printmaking, and video, Erik Olson balances the scientific with the poetic in a dynamic visualization of his personal life. People, places and experiences become the subject of works that question our presumptions and our perception of the world. The figures and portraits that populate his canvases can be likened to characters in mystery plays, each flaunting their own constructed personas and exuberant color. Olson's playful curiosity often leads him to explore a variety of content across multiple scales: from the subconscious psychology of the sitter, to the windswept landscapes of America, to the scale of the planets and the vast cosmos.
Collecting is central to the Art Gallery of Alberta’s role as an active resource and research facility for the Alberta community and broader public. Since its founding in 1924, the AGA has acquired over 6,000 works of art, the vast majority of which were produced after 1950 and added to the Collection since 1970. The strength of the gallery’s contemporary collection lies primarily in the area of Canadian abstract painting and sculpture, with a strong emphasis on the work of artists from this region in the context of parallel national and international movements.
The following works were recently added to their collection:
Erik Olson, "Self Portrait," 2019, oil on canvas, 35.5 x 27.5 inches
Erik Olson, "Night," 2019, oil on canvas, 71 x 55 inches
Erik Olson, "Tree House," 2018, oil on canvas, 71 x 55 inches
Erik Olson, "The Oak When It Blooms," 2018, oil on canvas, 71 x 55 inches
Erik Olson, "Owl," 2018, kiln fired wood, acrylic paint, 33 x 8.25 x 10 inches