Newest Collection
The Sacred Art of Ethiopia
Ethiopia is one of the oldest Christian civilizations in the world. Even today, more than half of Ethiopians identify as Christian and are still creating religious objects similar to those done centuries ago. The Sacred Art of Ethiopia is organized to familiarize ourselves and celebrate Ethiopia’s rich artistic heritage exhibition.
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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."
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Marc Chagall and the Bible
Sadao Watanabe
Georges Rouault: Seeing Christ in the Darkness
Ecce Homo: Behold the Man
Bowden Collections is proud to offer the traveling exhibition, Ecce Homo/Behold the Man with images dating from the early 17th century to contemporary works. Among the artists included are Jacques Callot, Georges Rouault, Max Beckmann, Schmidt-Rotluff, Otto Dix, Odilon Redon, Bruce Herman, and Tyrus Clutter. This exhibition is organized to place the viewer at the scene where Jesus was condemned by the crowd as described in Matthew 27, “And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, ‘Let him be crucified.’”
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Alfred Manessier: Composer in Colors
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.
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Eden to Eternity: Molas of Panama
Was God Dead?
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.
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Cardboard Chronicles: Rudolf Bostic
The Sacred Art of Ethiopia
Who is My Neighbor?
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.
Come the Table is Ready
Come! The Table Is Ready is an invitation to celebrate gathering with family and friends, but also with those of common faith around the table of our Lord. The table is one of the foremost places of human connection. It is a rich biblical metaphor, a place of gathering, a place of blessing, and a place where we share and serve.
Fill the Earth With Music
This exhibition is twenty-five pieces from six centuries and many countries that will help the observer appreciate how artists find inspiration in music
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The Rains Came Down: Noah and the Ark
Most Highly Favored: The Life of the Virgin Mary
Most Highly Favored includes 36 paintings, sculptures and objects of devotion by artists from over twenty countries. The art comes from such places as Greece, Sweden, Japan, Russia, Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, the Balkans, Central and South America, and the United States. [more]
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Drawing on the Bible
The story of drawing begins with the early history of civilization. Drawing pictures occurred before people learned how to write. Over the course of time the style and materials developed and changed dramatically, from the earliest drawing on the walls of caves, to Renaissance masterpieces of Da Vinci, or the 20th century sketch of an artist like Stanley Spencer. The function of drawing is many times considered a preliminary step in the creation of a work of art, but drawings as demonstrated in this exhibition are often finished works of art in themselves.
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Otto Dix: Matthaus Evangelium
Immanuel: God With Us
Immanuel/God with Us: The Wonder of the Incarnation celebrates Jesus’ life on earth seen through the eyes and imagination of artists. The exhibition begins with the Annunciation and birth of the Savior, follows His ministry, and then moves through His Passion and Resurrection, culminating with his Ascension. Using a wide variety of media, twenty-three artists from ten countries picture Christ’s earthly life. These 26 artworks come together to offer the viewer a rich experience of seeing afresh Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection.
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