Final Light: V. Douglas Snow in Retrospect

Salt Lake Art Center and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) are pleased to present Final Light: V. Douglas Snow in Retrospect, a joint exhibition celebrating the work of eminent Utah artist Doug Snow (1927-2009). Opening on August 31, 2011, the exhibition will showcase a large body of work presented in two locations, and will debut with a free public celebration at both venues on opening night.

A painter, printmaker, and professor, Doug Snow lived and worked in Utah’s red rock country for over half a century. Snow began his formal art training in 1946 at the American Art School and Columbia University in New York City, and finished his degrees at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomsfield Hills, Michigan. After concluding his studies, Snow moved back to his home state of Utah to paint Capitol Reef’s mesas and mountains.

In 1957 Snow was featured in Life magazine, establishing him as a nationally recognized artist at the age of 30. He became a devoted educator, working as a professor in the University of Utah Department of Art for 35 years, and serving as department chair from 1966-1971. Today, Snow’s artwork is part of numerous local and national collections, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, the Springville Museum of Art, and the Museum of Art at Brigham Young University.

Organized by guest curator Frank McEntire, Final Light: V. Douglas Snow in Retrospect presents defining works from Snow’s career, featuring 35 paintings from private and public collections across the West. The retrospective exhibition examines Snow’s early Abstract Expressionist-inspired period from the 1950s, as well as later works from the last three decades of his life, which meld abstraction with realism to express his passion for Utah’s southern desert.

By visiting both venues, art lovers will be offered a comprehensive view look at the life and art of Doug Snow. Salt Lake Art Center will present 21 intimate works by Snow, on view through October 22, 2011, and the UMFA will display 14 large-scale paintings by the artist through January 8, 2012.

The Art Center wishes to thank JEPS Foundation, Bonnie Phillips, and Stremmel Gallery for their support of this exhibition.