Part one of the Manuel Izquierdo show is up at the Hallie Ford Museum of art in the study gallery and the print study room upstairs.  It will be up until mid-February, so you’ll have plenty of time to see the work.  On January 18th the big main floor galleries will open with a retrospective of Izquierdo’s sculpture, as well as some early paintings, pastels from the 1980’s, and prints.

On view in the lobby are images of Manuel by friends and colleagues including this Jack McLarty print…

and this classic mid-1970’s Manuel portrait by George Johanson, which usually hangs in the State Capitol Building…

The study gallery upstairs has a fascinating series of maquettes and small sculptures,

as well as intriguing photos of Manuel and his studio…this one by Al Monner in the 1950’s…

and this composite view from the mid-90’s by Don Normark…

The label for this small wood piece called “Blue Wind”

has an attached thumbnail for Izquierdo’s monumental wood piece “Monarch of the Forest” which was destroyed in 1959…

in the nearby room called the Print Study Center, some of Izquierdo’s beautiful wood block prints are on view, and two are accompanied by the actual blocks which themselves are works of art.  Izquierdo started his art life as a carver in his grandfather’s workshop, and had a life-long love of carving.  According to Roger Hull’s monograph on Izquierdo (which will be available at the opening), Manuel often carved in the evening and found it relaxing.

It MIGHT be good to see this part of the show and read the information-filled labels so when January 18th rolls around, you’ll have an Izquierdo “vocabulary” for viewing the show…in any case, a rainy afternoon in the Hallie Ford Museum of Art is a treat.