The Cerritos College Art Gallery is currently showing an exhibition called “Selections from the Burnett Miller Collection.”
The gallery has been on view since Feb. 28, and held an opening ceremony last wednesday from 6-8 pm. The selections from Burnett Miller will continue to be on display through March 31.
Burnett Miller is an artist who played a key role in the contribution to art history in the 20th century. Although his name is not very known to the public, he gained his recognition through working with other artists to build his foundation.
Miller brought notoriety to a large number of artists who created several different media such as sculpture, painting, installation and performance art.
Art teacher Andrea Bronte, who is responsible for making the show happen, mentioned, “This is the first exhibit since his [Miller] passing which really shows the depth and breath of his vision, and him being able to choose interesting work.”
Miller received his masters of fine arts degree in Art History from USC in the early eighties, worked a brief term as a director of Marilyn Pearl Gallery in New York and became a curator at the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art. He also opened his own gallery in Los Angeles from 1985 to 1994.
An interesting piece called “Aktion Wein 2,” is a bizarre black and white photo of a man’s hands holding a fish that his cut open in two.
“The overall feeling I get from this painting is quite interesting,” said Robert Realon, nursing major.
The artists featured in the exhibition include: Ian Hamilton Finlay, Fred Fehlau, Serge Spitzer, Anotny Gormley, David Bunn, Miroslav Balka, Skip Arnold, Sarah Seager, Ettore Spalletti, Wolfgang Lab, Arnulf Rainer, Roni Horn, Leon Golub, Rudolf Scharzkogler and Wolfgang Nestler. Miller had a distinct influence on the national and international art scene.
He gained much respect as a visionary in the artist community.
Miller passed away in 2001. His collection today is managed by his wife Tara Guizot who has co-curated the work currently exhibited on campus.
For more information regarding Miller, go to:http://www.cerritos.edu/gallery
