Newest Collection
Unto Us a Child Is Born, is an exhibition of artists, primarily from the 20th century, who have been moved by the profound mystery that surrounds the birth of our Savior. Most of the images are small works which require us to come close ... to engage with the intimacy of each piece. A majority of the artists are American but a Greek icon of the Madonna of Tenderness, an Egyptian papyrus painting of the Flight into Egypt, the charming wood engraving by the Russian/French artist Jean Lebedeff, and the Panamanian mola all expand the geographical circle of the nativity works.
Why the Bowden Collections?
The Bowden Collections
"I have always wanted to own art by other artists. My first pieces were pottery or works that I could swap with other artists. Then I began to make a greater commitment to strategically collecting. However, the most important reason is that it is enjoyable. What a thrill to “find” a piece, recognize its value and have it become part of my collection.
I feel like a caretaker, so to speak, of each piece in our collection, preserving it for the future. With every new acquisition comes a world of knowledge, a reservoir of information surrounding the piece that adds to the fascination and enjoyment.
The Bowden Collections focuses on religious art for several reasons: first, it is the subject I am most passionately interested in; second, it is a wonderful time to be collecting work with biblical themes because the art market in general is not particularly interested in art with religious content. I also feel that religious art needs exposure within the Christian community, and it is my intent to make these pieces available whenever possible for that purpose. I see my collector's role as a calling—something that is critically important to do at this particular time.
Alfred Manessier is a non-figurative French painter and stained glass maker of sacred art from the last half of the twentieth century and was associated with the Lyrical Abstraction movement after the Second World War. He is also known for his vibrantly colored lithographs many of which are in this exhibition. It is hoped that this show will introduce Alfred Manessier as an important artist of faith whose art rings forth a witness. Manessier’s art stands as a model of hope in a world searching for meaning."
Explore the Bowden Collections
3. Witness to Faith: Sadao Watanabe
6. Cardboard Chronicles: Rudolph Bostic
9. Unto Us a Child is Born NEW!
10. Journey to the Resurrection:
Through the Eyes of ChildrenEXPLORE CHAGALL
In the first decades of the twentieth century, the writings of the atheistic philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche were a powerful inspiration for the artistic and literary avant-garde communities in Berlin, Dresden, and Munich. His exuberant affirmation of the “vital forces” of life, anti-authoritarian iconoclasm, and withering condemnation of Christianity inspired artists and writers in their search for a new future that would liberate humanity from the suffocating aesthetic, cultural, political, and religious conventions derived from the Judeo-Christian tradition.
EXPLORE WAS GOD DEAD?
Who is my Neighbor? Visual Insights from the Good Samaritan offers the viewer numerous opportunities to see this story anew, through the eyes of twenty-two artists spread across the last four centuries.
