The Boca Raton Museum of Art is currently displaying the world’s largest collection of works by M.C. Escher, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
The exhibit, titled Marc Bell Presents: The Magical World of M.C. Escher, runs through April 11 and is located in Mizner Park, just two miles southeast of the Boca campus.
Born in the Netherlands, Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) was an innovator ahead of his time. Unlike many artists who drew works strictly from what they saw, Escher created art from what he envisioned in his mind, mixing reality with fantasy.
“Escher’s work is much more than just visual puns and illusions, but studies of infinity and the creation of the world,” said Wendy M. Blazier, senior curator for the Boca Raton Museum of Art.
From rough sketches to woodcuts, and final prints to a black light exhibit, hundreds of pieces of art hang around Escher’s own desk and tools inside the exhibit.
Visitors are able to see his most popular works, including Drawing Hands (1948), Reptiles (1943) and Hand with Reflecting Sphere (1935), a self-portrait in which Escher is holding a crystal ball in his hand and the viewer is able to see Escher’s reflection in it.
“Everyone has that ‘wow’ moment when they see the exhibit,” added Blazier.
Combining ideas of symmetry, illusion and the future, Escher’s work reached new heights in the 1960s and 1970s. The images he created using a pencil are now reflected in modern-day art.
“These ideas made new art like the movie Avatar a possibility,” said Blazier.
There has never been another exhibit with as many Escher pieces as this one, and the museum is expecting this to be one of the most popular shows in its history.
“People who have never even been to a museum are coming out,” said Blazier. “Escher reaches everyone, not just ‘art people.'”
If you want to go:
What: Marc Bell Presents: The Magical World of M.C. Escher
Where: Boca Raton Museum of Art
Dates: Through April 11
Times:
– Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
– Wednesdays: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
– Saturdays, Sundays: Noon to 5 p.m.
Admission:
– Adults: $14
– Senior citizens (65 and older): $12
– Students (with school ID): $6
For more information, contact the museum at (561) 392-2500 or visit their Web site: www.bocamuseum.org.
