Vance Kirkland ‘Time and Space’ Paintings Arrive at Denver International Airport

DENVER – Feb. 21, 2014 – The Art & Culture Program at Denver International Airport (DIA) is pleased to present Time and Space, a painting exhibition for passengers and airport visitors. The display is located at the Airport Office Building lobby gallery northwest of Ansbacher Hall on level 6. The exhibition is open during regular business hours and features four paintings by the late Denver-based artist, Vance Kirkland. The paintings are on generous loan from the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art in Denver and will be on display through August.

All four works use oil paint mixed with water, one of Kirkland’s signature painting techniques. Two of the pieces also show his next evolution of using dowels to apply dots of different sizes once the oil paint and water have dried for his final painting style. These works represent an imaginary version of space. Kirkland said, “The paintings may suggest ideas of time and space… I am trying to paint something I do not know exists in a tangible way. If I am looking at space, who is going to say it never existed: It has existed in my mind.”

About the Artist

Vance Kirkland (1904-1981) was born in Convoy, Ohio in 1904. He received his art schooling at the Cleveland Institute of Art. He is remembered for his position as founding director of the Art School at the University of Denver. Kirkland was among the most important Colorado painters of the twentieth century. His work can be generally divided into five major periods, beginning in the 1920s with realist watercolor paintings and evolving into his greatest works — abstractions created with his signature oil paint and water technique — and the Dot Paintings. With the success of a European exhibition tour, he has posthumously gained international recognition. Kirkland’s alchemic techniques and ingenious use of color showcase his avant-garde attitude and style.

Kirkland’s studio workroom is now on view as part of Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art in Denver. In addition to a retrospective of Kirkland’s career, the museum displays artwork by over 170 other Colorado artists as well as over 3,500 examples of international decorative art from every major design period from Arts & Crafts to Postmodern. The museum recently announced plans to build a new facility and relocate the original Vance Kirkland Studio to the Golden Triangle Art District in Denver and is slated for completion by late 2016 to early 2017.

About DIA’s Art and Culture Program

DIA’s Art and Culture Program administers the City and County of Denver’s “one percent for art” ordinance which enhances public places and features nearly 30 site-specific works including sculptures, murals and other installations. The pieces are displayed in outdoor landscapes, inside Jeppesen Terminal and on airport concourses, as well as in the train tunnels and on the train itself. In addition to its permanent art collection, DIA curates temporary exhibitions, collaborating with museums, cultural institutions and arts organizations to present the highest quality two- and three-dimensional work. For more information, visit www.flydenver.com/art.

DIA has been named “Best U.S. Airport for Art” in USA Today’s “10Best Reader’s Choice” travel contest in 2013. The category focuses on how airports have been transforming from utilitarian hubs of transport to spaces with beautiful works of art, great restaurants, comfy lounges and terrific shopping. DIA was selected by readers as the favorite among 20 airports nominated by the publication.

Denver International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. DEN is the primary economic engine for the state of Colorado, generating more than $36 billion for the region annually. For more information visit www.FlyDenver.com, check us out on YouTube and Instagram, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Sign up for DEN’s monthly newsletter Nonstop News.

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