Bernice Steinbaum Gallery
Bernice Steinbaum Gallery
2101 Tigertail Avenue
Coconut Grove,
FL
33133
P: (305) 860-3681
Mondays and Tuesdays: 10 am - 6 pm and by appt.
Shimmering Geometries: Reinventing the Ancient Art of Silverpoint by Carol Prusa
Opening on Saturday, October 11th, 2024, from 4-7 PM.
Carol Prusa revitalizes the centuries-old drawing medium of silverpoint at a moment when art is continually redefined through bold shifts in subject, scale, and technique. This fine, delicate line, unmistakably bearing the artist’s hand, affirms human presence in an increasingly digital age. Though silverpoint is notoriously demanding, its newfound expansiveness and adaptability hold a special allure for Prusa, who reinvents the medium with precision and imagination.
For her, silverpoint is more than a tool; it is an intimate channel of communication, offering respite from the dizzying speed of our techno-centric world. The same is true for her viewers, who are drawn into its quiet beauty. Her luminous works cast star-like patterns across gallery walls, their shimmering globes revealing intricate, abstract geometries beneath the surface. These celestial forms emerge from a painstaking process: Prusa first sandblasts her panels, then applies gesso, silverpoint, and titanium-white pigment, creating the impression of a heavenly constellation suspended in space.
Carol Prusa
Bernice Steinbaum is one of the most respected members of the art community in the United States. Gallerist, dealer, curator, juror, speaker and author, Bernice has a reputation for a discerning eye, honest tongue, and a very snappy wardrobe.
Over 30 years ago, Bernice broke the mold in Manhattan, opening a gallery in Soho that focused on 50% female artists and 40% artists of color – blazing a trail that eventually earned her a Woman of the Year Award from the National Organization for Women. “I didn’t think that I would impact the world. I wanted to impact myself knowing that I had done the right thing and that perhaps in some way I was making a difference,” says Bernice.
In 2000, after closing the doors of her Soho gallery, she was instrumental in founding the Wynwood Arts District in Miami when she turned a rundown crack house into her eponymous, world-class two-story art gallery.
To this day, Bernice continues to champion emerging artist whose work speaks eloquently about the issues of gender, race, culture and identity. Many of her artists have received awards and accolades from the art world and have gone on the be acquired by museums including the Guggenheim, Smithsonian Institute, Whitney, Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Tate Modern, Museum of Fine Arts, among many others.
Bernice is a woman of great prestige and an impressive background, but what makes her truly unique is the way she sees the world. While an inspiration and an icon in her own right, Bernice shows no signs of slowing down. If anything, she’s ready to add new chapters to her life’s work by promoting and nurturing new, innovative artists in the United States and around the world.
” I think I’m a survivor, and I think I roll with the punches… And always there is the passion for art and finding the next artist who will make art history – always for me… Insatiable curiosity – Bernice Steinbaum . “
