Eugene Martin: The Creative Act

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION:
The LSU Museum of Art (LSU MOA) is pleased to present Eugene Martin: The Creative Act, the museum’s first major exhibition of the artist's work. The original exhibition in 2022 (installation images below) featured a selection from a 2008 acquisition of 31 works and focuses on Martin’s unique brand of abstraction. Born in Washington, D.C. in 1938, Eugene Martin dedicated his life to living and working as a full-time artist, creating a body of work clearly defined by periods, from black and white ink drawings to bright and colorful acrylic paintings and collages. Throughout these styles, Martin’s hand is distinct and present. A mixture of organic forms, geometric shapes, and even architectural worlds make up Martin’s universe of figures and creatures. Though often hinting at figures and familiar forms, Martin’s abstraction offers delights of color that are free from time and place. Eugene Martin's whimsical collages and mixed media works filled with color and expression speaks to the surrealist concept of automatism, working strictly by feel and the unconscious within. This exhibition showcased Martin's process of creating art from within and signify the moment in which they were made.

Highlighted in the exhibition were Martin’s unparalleled collages, which featured pieces or photographs of previously completed works. This form of artistic cannibalism represents an artist’s practice which was never static and always learning. Also featured are Martin’s circle drawings, a product of setting his own limitations on composition—just to see what he could do. Working only from within, Martin straddles styles and does not answer to any outside influence. Rather, his works satisfy the impulse simply to create. In his last decade, Martin lived and worked in Lafayette, Louisiana. He achieved much regional acclaim while continuing to exhibit work across the country and abroad. His works are held in the collections of several other Louisiana institutions.

The 2022 exhibition on view at the LSUMOA was curated by former staff member Olivia Peltier.

ABOUT THE ARTIST Eugene James Martin was born in Washington, D.C. in 1938. Just four years later, his mother died and Martin and his brother were separated during foster care. Though Martin eventually landed in a loving home, his time in a reform school filled with older boys sparked a life of introversion and isolation. After attending the Corcoran School of Art and Design in D.C., Martin dedicated his life to living and working as a full-time artist, regardless of any sacrifices that might entail. He worked with what he had, where he could, his studio frequently a bench on Washington Circle. His career is marked by distinct styles: a period of brown bamboo reed drawings, one of black and white marker drawings, collage, and acrylic painting. His fluid hand and biomorphic forms create a thread throughout his body of work.

“The creative act is very important to me. So, whether the works sells or whether it hangs, is really not that important to me. The creative act–what I mean by that is when you create something by pure motive–it generates a kind of energy that goes out through the universe.” -Eugene Martin

ON VIEW AT LSU MOA: On view April 7–October 2, 2022

TRAVELING EXHIBITION: A variation of this exhibition is available to travel and includes the LSU Museum of Art’s entire collection of Eugene Martin artworks. Please email LSUMOA Curator Michelle Schulte for more information at mschulte@lsu.edu

LSU MOA Installation

Exhibition Lenders & Sponsors

Exhibition support is provided by generous donors to the Annual Exhibition Fund: Louisiana CAT; The Imo N. Brown Memorial Fund in memory of Heidel Brown and Mary Ann Brown; The Alma Lee, H.N. and Cary Saurage Fund; Charles "Chuck" Edward Schwing; Robert and Linda Bowsher; LSU College of Art + Design; Mr. and Mrs. Sanford A. Arst; and The Newton B. Thomas Family/Newtron Group Fund.

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