Gary T. Erbe, Leading American Painter, to Unveil Major New Painting at The Nutley Musem

NUTLEY, N.J. - June 24, 2013 - PRLog -- NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY, June 19, 2013 – Leading American artist Gary T. Erbe will premier his new painting “Annie Oakley: Little Sure Shot” on September 15, 2013 at 1:00 P.M. at the Nutley Museum. Following a one-day viewing at the Museum, the painting will be shown for six weeks at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, and then will travel to The Phoenix Art Museum and other museums throughout America.

“Annie Oakley: Little Sure Shot” is a large and important new Trompe l’oeil painting that reflects on the life of Annie Oakley, the famous sharpshooter who made her home in Nutley from 1892 until 1903. The composition depicts several of Oakley’s guns, old Nutley publications, iconic images of Buffalo Bill and other historical figures, and even one of the sawdust-filled glass balls that Oakley would shoot from the sky during her sharpshooting demonstrations.

“The Nutley Historical Society was proud to lend one of Oakley’s pistols and other materials to Gary for possible inclusion in his composition,” says Barry Lenson, Art Director of the Nutley Museum. “I was privileged to visit his studio several times over the last year to see the painting in process. It is an extraordinary work that resonates on many levels. It is a reflection on Annie Oakley’s life but is also Gary T. Erbe’s offering of gratitude to Nutley, his new home town. Its unveiling will be the greatest artistic event in our town’s history.”

In explaining his inspiration for the painting, Gary T. Erbe explains that, “In 2009, my wife Zeny and I purchased a home in Nutley, New Jersey. I soon learned that the block we moved to, The Enclosure, was for many years an artists’ colony. Another discovery that fascinated me was that Annie Oakley and her husband Frank Butler lived on Grant Avenue, only three blocks from our home. They built a house there in 1892. In her later years, she moved to Greenville, Ohio, where she passed away in 1926. After reading her biography, I was so touched that I decided to create a painting as a tribute to this remarkable woman. She was an inspiration to all Americans.”

About Gary T. Erbe

Gary T. Erbe, a self-taught painter, was born in 1944 in Union City, New Jersey, where he maintained his studio from 1972 until 2006. Unable to attend art school, he worked as an engraver to support himself and his family. In 1967, he discovered Trompe l’oeil painting and its masters and found his artistic place. He enlarged the scope of 19th Century Trompe l’oeil painting by adding the illusion of levitation and a near-magical juxtaposition of objects which, in his words, “in reality have no relationship.”

Since Gary T. Erbe decided to pursue his art full-time in 1970, he has exhibited in many of America’s most important art museums. He has been accorded one-man exhibitions at The New Jersey State Museum (1983), The Montclair Art Museum (1988), the Grand Gallery of the National Arts Club in New York (2000), as well as a 40-year retrospective exhibition (2008-2009) that traveled to The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, The Salmagundi Club in New York, the Boca Raton Museum of Art, and The Albuquerque Museum.  Earlier, a 25-year retrospective exhibition of his art  travelled to The James A. Michener Museum, The New Britain Museum of American Art, and other institutions (2000).

Gary T. Erbe has won many awards and honors over the years, including an unprecedented six Gold Medals at The Allied Artists of America Annual Exhibitions at The National Arts Club in New York. He received the Medal for Lifetime Achievement in American Art from The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, and the Medal of Honor from the Salmagundi Club in New York. Other awards have included the Gold Medal from The National Museum of Sports in Indianapolis, Indiana, a First Prize Award from The National Arts Club in New York, and The Medal of Honor from Audubon Artists in New York, amongst other prizes.

Gary T. Erbe continues to actively paint and exhibit. To learn more, visit www.garyerbe.com.