The inquisitive nature of Jessica Ruppel, a Sachem East alum from the Class of 2015, her passion for art, and her instinct to seek advice from her mentor regarding her great-grandfather’s artwork has brought an exhibition of historic proportions to the public.
The majority of the work by artist Paul Mommer, Ruppel’s grandfather, has not been exhibited since his death over 50 years ago, until this month when a new exhibit at the Islip Art Museum opens on January 17.
The exhibit, which runs through March 13, titled “Transformations of a Visionary: Paul Mommer” was curated by Loretta Corbisiero, Sachem’s art chairperson.
Mommer is a well-known and frequently exhibited artist of the mid-twentieth century who was also featured in three very significant retrospectives: The Museum of Modern Arts Twentieth Century Portraits (1942) and Romantic Painting in America (1943) and the Metropolitan Museum of Arts American Painting (1950). Transformations of a Visionary: Paul Mommer is a retrospective reintroducing the artist and highlighting the diversity of his style and technique throughout the early through mid twentieth century.
Mommer is included in the permanent collections of: Brooklyn Museum of Art, Hunter College, Hirshhorn Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Munich State Museum, National Arts Club, University of Alabama, University of Minnesota, and the Walker Art Institute.