Friends of Park Slope architect Gilly Youner are looking forward to the March 8th opening reception of L'Chaim, Herb Youner, a retrospective of Youner's paintings and photographs at the Upstream Gallery in Dobbs Ferry.
The following was written by Herb's wife: "This exhibit is a celebration of Chaim Herbert Youner’s life.
Herb passed away September 12, 2007, at age 76, in a graceful, peaceful exit.
On that occasion, alone in the midst of a holiday celebration, while surrounded by his loving family, he fulfilled his own artist’s statement:
“Much of my work deals with loneliness and abandonment around us…Many of us… are ultimately alone, even in the midst of each other.” His paintings will live on. In his March 2000 exhibit statement he writes,
"I feel the ebb and flow of the tides and their constant motion regardless my presence or absence.”
Later, in May 2002, he writes: “Carnival rides that spin, twist, change speed and come to a jarring stop are metaphors for life.”
Herb lived a full life. From his first artistic success at the High School of Music and Art, when he received his first award from Colliers Magazine, and exhibited his painting at the Brooklyn Museum; to his Cooper Union experience, and throughout the years of work as a designer, he continued to create the large body of work which these paintings are a part of. His artwork flourished in the last year of his life, when he was invited by the Fundacion Valparaiso, Mojacar, Spain, where he spent a whole month painting as a Resident Artist.
His presence is in every piece of his work, in his paintings, drawings, prints, 3D pieces and photographs. He continually explored the effects of light and shadows when creating forms in his Facades, in the surreal images of beaches and playgrounds, in the starkness of the Mediterranean coast.
The show at Upstream Gallery runs from March 5th through March 29, 2000. The opening reception is Sunday March 8th from 2-5 p.m.
Check out the Flickr page created by his proud daughter, who is pictured here with Herb.
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Whoa–sorry for last minute item–show was great-and we are having a mini-closing party in Dobbs Ferry Sunday March 29th 2-5!!!
lots of people who didnt make the opening will be traipsing up from the Metro north station, including Marilyn-yay!
now LC–if only we could get Amazon to carry your blog as a Kindle subscription…XOXG
Dear Gilly….
Although we knew about Herb’s passing, we did not know about the exhibition. My husband (another Cooper classmate) and I will try to make it before it closes. The last time I saw your dad was when he and I and two other Cooper classmates went to visit another classmate (Norman Griner), who was in a nursing home facility after suffering a stroke. What a sad experience it was to see him virtually abandoned there by his family in his final years. How lucky Herb was to have been with his loving family at the end. We are glad to hear that you are well and hope to connect in the not too distant future.
Marilyn Henrion