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MICHAEL KLEIN

New Work August 24 – September 12

“There was a time when I thought I would spend my life trying to paint something beautiful.

Now, I would change that, and say instead-

I will spend my life painting what is already beautiful.” - Michael Klein

Exhibition Reception:

Friday evening, August 24, 5-8 pm

Great American Paintings

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Michael Klein (b. 1980) is a bourgeoning artist in the Novo

Realist movement creating melancholic paintings that have

a distinct, contemplative quality. Klein grew up in the

Midwest where he developed a special connection with

nature and a desire to express himself accurately through

his work. He began his academic training at just 19 with

Richard Whitney and subsequently enrolled in Richard

Lack’s The Atelier in Minneapolis, MN. Still searching for

further enrichment, he moved to New York City to study at

The Art Students League of New York. He completed his

formal studies as an apprentice to Jacob Collins at the Water

Street Atelier.

Klein’s paintings have a brooding energy emanating from them, a silent, almost exotic, narrative; this quixotic stillness takes

his work from being just a nod to 19th century artists such as Whistler and elevates it to a contemporary contemplation of the

past and present. The surfaces of his paintings reveal variations in paint density - from the thinly painted transparent darks to

the richly textured built up lights, thus giving way to a lacquered quality, and the intentionally limited color palette creates a

dramatic counterpoint. Thematically, many of Klein’s pieces feel like mysterious vignettes, leaving his story unfinished and all

the more fascinating.

Klein is represented by galleries in New York, California, and Massachusetts and has participated in several exhibitions

throughout the United States. With the help of his wife, he developed American Painting Video Magazine in 2009. Klein

A review of currently lives and works in Bronx, NY and maintains a studio in his wife’s hometown of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Klein’s 2012 exhibition with Collins Galleries is featured in American Arts Quarterly Summer, 2012.

Cover image: Red, White and Pink Roses, Oil on linen, 8 x 13 7/8 inches

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Bouquet, 2012

Click any photo to watch a You Tube video of Michael Painting Bouquet

A video collaboration between Artists on Art magazine and Michael Klein

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Bouquet, Oil on paper, 22 x 25 inches, 2012

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Studio Lunch, Oil on paper, 9.25x12.25 inches

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A Quiet Moment, Oil on linen, 35 x 53 inches

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Karina

Esperando

Oil on Linen

48 x 24 inches

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Silver Vase with Roses

Oil on linen

15 x 9.75 inches

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Yellow Rose, 2012

Oil on panel

23.25 x 16.50 inches

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Antique Sofa, Oil on linen, 9.75 x 15.5 inches

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Corner of the Studio, Oil on linen, 11.25 x 18.75 inches

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Peonies, Oil on panel, 8 x 12 inches

Antique Sofa, Oil on linen, 9.75 x 15.5 inches

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Diana Resting, Oil on panel, 6 x 10 inches SOLD

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Spring Floral II, Oil on linen, 8 x 12 inches

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Spring Floral, Oil on panel, 8 x 12 inches

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Artist’s Studio, Buenos Aires, Oil on linen, 12.5 x 12.75 inches

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Klein’s Buenos Aires studio was built in 2006. The section to the right was specifically designed by Klein so

that he might explore subjects en plein air in contrast to the somewhat limited and often dramatic light of the

main studio. In order to recreate the luminous and subtle light of a slightly over cast day, Klein with the help of

his father-in-law constructed the walls of concrete gray cinderblocks. The ceiling is made of an opaque

fiberglass; earthen floors soften the light from below. Various scrims are often used to further diffuse the light

if necessary. Arrangement on a Wooden Crate was painted in May of 2012 (in the southern hemisphere,

autumn) in the ‘outdoor’ workspace whereas Potted Plants and Plums was created in the main part of the

studio.

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Arrangement on a

Wooden Crate

Oil on paper

30 x 21.5 inches

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First Fruit (Peaches and Grapes), Oil on linen, 11.75 x 15.5 inches

Travis Schlaht (b. 1975) Parisian GentlemanOil on panel16 x 12 inches

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In the Studio, Oil on linen, 10 x 15.5 inches SOLD

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Rose Bouquet, Oil on linen, 10.75 x 13.5 inches SOLD

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Study for Garden Pots, Oil on linen, 10 x 16 inches

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Garden Pots, Oil on linen, 21 x 36.5 inches

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Potted Plants and Plums, Oil on linen, 13.5 x 15.75 inches

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Spring (Studio Bench), Oil on panel, 8 x 14 inches SOLD

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Sliced Pineapple and Plums, Oil on panel, 18 x 30 inches

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End of Day Drying Sheets, Oil on panel, 4.5 x 7.5 inches

Sunrise, Buenos Aires, Oil on panel, 4.5 x 7.75 inches

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Daybreak, Oil on panel, 4.5 x 7.5 inches

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White Roses, Oil on panel, 12 x 16 inches, 2012

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Pink Rose and Purple Iris, Oil on panel, 12 x 16 inches

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Las Flores, Oil on panel, 24 x 36.25 inches

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Two White Roses in a Glass Vase, Oil on linen, 16 x 14 inches

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A Moment in Time, Oil on panel, 20 x 24 inches

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Wash Bowl, Oil on panel, 20 x 24 inches

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Berries, Oil on panel, 8 x 14 inches

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Visual Music, Oil on panel, 18 x 30 inches

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Figure Demo, Buenos Aires Studio, May, 2012

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www.collinsgalleries.com

info@collinsgalleries.com

508.255.1266 or 774.722.4947

12 West Road

Orleans, MA 02653

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