Et in Arcadia Ego

The title of a 17th-century painting by Nicolas Poussin Et in Arcadia Ego can be translated, “Even in Arcadia, there am I,” a phrase rich with possible meanings. The exhibition explores the timeless myth of Arcadia as it has been represented by artists and writers, employing concepts such as the sublime, the paradox of living, beauty and longing, paradise lost, and the golden age. Et in Arcadia Ego explores these themes as they are reinterpreted and reinvented through the eyes of contemporary artists.

Featured artists Agostino Arrivabene, Sandow Birk, Seamus Conley, Julie Heffernan, Kim Keever, Maria Kreyn, Brad Kunkle, Holly Lane, David Ligare, Odd Nerdrum, Stephanie Peek, Astrid Preston, Aron Wiesenfeld, Robin F. Williams and Jason Yarmosky all work with Arcadian themes in figurative and landscape painting, exploring what it means to be human in the temporal world while standing on the precipice of the next world.

A work attributed to Poussin, Promised Land, will also be featured, on loan from the personal collection of Nerdrum.

Curated by David Molesky and organized in conjunction with the New Museum Los Gatos. Admission is free.

An opening reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11.

The gallery, located in William Rolland Stadium, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Image: David Ligare, Et in Arcadia Ego, oil on linen, 40 x 48 inches, 2016. Courtesy of the artist.