MICHAEL KESSLER — GRAFTINGS
NOVEMBER 5–30· 2008

Michael Kessler, originally from Pennsylvania, now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He won several prestigious awards and fellowships (American Academy in Rome, Pollock/Krasner, Whitney). His work is in the collections of 24 museums nationwide, including the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and can also be found in a seemingly endless number of corporate and private collections.

Michael Kessler’s first solo-exhibition in Santa Barbara presents a selection of his newest work. Kessler’s handling of surface texture is strikingly accomplished. With conceptual sophistication and technical élan he illuminates the ongoing dialogue between natural forces and the human need for order and meaning. His uncanny synthesis of action painting with hard-edged abstraction addresses the interplay of freedom and containment.

SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS 11-07-08 (250KB PDF)
SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS 11-07-08 (546KB PDF)
SANTA BARBARA INDEPENDENT 11-13-08 (239KB PDF)
CASA MAGAZINE 11-14-08 (286KB PDF)