Unexpected Legacy: Selected Works of Kenneth Showell (1939-1997)

Hidden Art Collection on View for The First Time in Decades 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Kenneth Showell Artworks presents Unexpected Legacy: Selected Works of Kenneth Showell (1939-1997) at Slip Gallery (2301 1st Avenue, Seattle) September 6-30, 2023.

In 2018, Hannah Palin, a Seattle film archivist, received a storage pod filled with work created by her estranged father, Kenneth Showell, a New York painter and photographer who died in 1997. Palin spent five years documenting, researching, and organizing her inheritance of over 1300 canvases, drawings, pastels, and watercolors. The result of these efforts is Unexpected Legacy: Selected Works of Kenneth Showell (1939-1997), the first major exhibit of Showell’s art in almost 20 years.

The show opens September 6th at Slip Gallery in Seattle.

On September 13th, Palin will present Six Degrees of Separation, a talk about Showell’s work, his use of media, her experiences connecting with his family and friends, as well as his ties to the vibrant art scene of 1960s New York.

Palin invites the community to an honest discussion of The Artist's Estate on September 17th framed by her experience of archiving Showell's collection.

There will be a closing reception on September 29th from 6pm-9pm.

The show closes September 30th.

The son of a sheet metal worker, Kenneth Leroy Showell was born in 1939 in Huron, South Dakota and grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. After receiving his B.F.A. at the Kansas City Art Institute and an M.F.A. from Indiana University he moved to New York City in 1965, setting up a studio in SoHo. Ken’s abstract work with spray paint and folded canvas garnered significant attention. His distinctive approach earned inclusion in the 1967 and 1969 Annual Exhibition: Contemporary American Painting at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Showell was also included in the Whitney’s 1971 Lyrical Abstraction exhibition, and many other important group shows and surveys of contemporary painting. His work is held by prominent museums, such as the Museum of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Art.

From the late 1960s to the early 1970s, Showell was represented by the prestigious David Whitney Gallery which featured the work of painters such as Dan Christiansen, Mary Heilmann, Ronnie Landfield, Pat Lipsky, and David Reed. These artists, along with Showell, were eventually grouped under the heading Lyrical Abstraction, a term coined by the collector Larry Aldrich to describe those painters who were moving away from the "geometric, hard-edge, and minimal, toward more lyrical, sensuous, romantic abstractions in colors which are softer and more vibrant.”

In the 1980s Showell’s interest drifted to landscape and plein air painting. He began to explore computer generated and video imagery as part of his creative practice. He would bring a Hi-8 video camera to Central Park, focus it on scenes he found interesting, and record until the tape came to an end. Afterwards he would return to his studio and paint directly from the image captured on videotape. The process gave his paintings a quality of motion even though his subjects, such as a skyline or a tree, were inherently static.

Unexpected Legacy: Selected Works of Kenneth Showell (1939-1997) will feature a broad selection of paintings from Showell’s thirty-year career. To view and download images currently included in the Slip Show visit this website.

Slip Gallery, located at 2301 1st Avenue in Seattle, was born from a love of art and the desire to create opportunities. An extension of the Belltown Art Walk non-profit, the space is used for showcasing beautiful things and for building community in Belltown and the Seattle artist community. Slip Gallery is a non-profit, so open hours change with each exhibit depending on the availability of interns, volunteers, and artists.

Kenneth Showell Artworks was established to manage the Kenneth Showell collection and to handle donations, sales, licensing, and merchandise

For more information:

Hannah Palin, kennethshowellartworks@gmail.com, (206) 321-8301

 Slip Gallery, 2301 1st Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121, slipbelltown@gmail.com

Open Hours                        

Thursday-Saturday 12pm-6pm or by appointment (206) 321-8301

Notable Dates:

Wednesday, September 6th                       Opening 6pm-9pm  

Friday, September 8th                                 Belltown Artwalk 6pm-9pm

Wednesday, September 13th                      6 Degrees of Separation, Artist Talk 6pm-9pm

Sunday, September 17th                             The Artist’s Estate, Community Discussion, 3pm -6pm

Friday, September 29th                              Closing Festivities 6pm-9pm

Saturday, September 30th                          Show Closes, 12pm-6pm