Benedictine art show celebrates late Chicago painter Edward Francis Paschke
The late Edward Francis Paschke was a Polish-American painter whose childhood interest in animation and cartoons, as well as his father's creativity in wood carving and construction, led him toward a career in art.
Beginning Oct. 6 and running through Nov. 30, the Fr. Michael E. Komechak, O.S.B., Art Gallery at Benedictine University in Lisle will commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the artist's death with an exhibition celebrating the lively and pop art-influenced representational imagery associated with Paschke's art.
The exhibition features family members' collections, which have rarely been seen in public.
Born in 1939 in Chicago, Paschke was fascinated by the comics that appeared in Chicago newspapers and the cartoons that decorated the letters his father mailed home while serving with the U.S. occupation forces in Germany following World War II.
Paschke struggled academically in school but excelled in art and athletics. He loved the grittiness and underbelly of the city known for gangsters and frequently took friends, students or associates on a "crime tour" in which he would drive around the city pointing out locations where the city's most infamous crimes had occurred.
He also loved the intensity of the Chicago sports scene and frequented the Chicago Stadium during the Bulls' championship runs.
Paschke achieved a level of celebrity in Chicago, rare for any artist, in which he was often recognized on the street. One year after his death, he became one of the select few Chicago residents to have a street named after him - the stretch of Monroe Street between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive, which divides the Art Institute of Chicago and Millennium Park.
However, Paschke's influence and popularity extend well beyond his native Chicago. His work has been included in exhibitions at numerous institutions around the world, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Louvre.
A reception for the artist's family, friends and those who appreciate his work will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 4 at the art gallery on the fifth floor of Kindlon Hall on the campus of Benedictine University.
The gallery is named for Fr. Michael E. Komechak, O.S.B., who began collecting art in 1951 when he paid $10 for a portfolio of screen prints.
One of the earliest and biggest art patrons at Benedictine was Komechak's mother, Elizabeth, who donated more than $100,000 to purchase and frame various pieces. The Benedictine art collection now contains more than 4,000 original works of art, plus hundreds of fine art posters.
The collection includes sculptures, paintings, drawings, photographs, calligraphy, ceramics and other craft and folk art pieces.
Much of the collection is made up of original prints. The gallery's hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays and by appointment.
For details about the Paschke exhibit or the gallery, contact Cathaleen Gaddis at (630) 829-6320 or visit ben.edu/artgallery.