Doug Owen Urban Horses

Exhibition dates: May 16th- June 20th, 2015
Venue: 1020 Prospect St. Ste. 130, La Jolla, CA 92037
Contact us: 858-459-0836/info@madisongalleries.com

 
La Jolla May 16, 2015— Madison Gallery is pleased to present Urban Horses, sculptor Doug Owen’s first solo show at Madison Gallery in La Jolla.
 
Situated in the fascinating space between representation and abstraction, Doug Owen’s graceful sculptures offer up a wealth of associations. The horse, his perennial subject, has been a favorite of artists for centuries. In his single-minded devotion to the equine form, Owen joins the ranks of such renowned artists as Frederic Remington and Susan Rothenberg, for whom horses retain a primal, almost mythical power. Like them, he also makes his home in the Western U.S., where horses further connote the complex history of the American frontier.
 
Although Owen’s forms undoubtedly resemble horses, they can also be seen as pure assemblages of faintly recognizable objects, namely car, tractor, and motorcycle parts. Owen’s choice of medium imbues his sculptures with a touch of irony: his horses are constructed out of the very material that ultimately replaced them. At the same time, these vintage vehicle parts are themselves obsolete, and carry with them a certain nostalgic air. In their incorporation of found objects, the sculptures recall the work of artists like Ed Kienholz and Noah Purifoy, whose sculptures likewise use manufactured detritus to create new, powerful structures.
 
A culmination of 40 years of artistic exploration, Doug Owen’s sculpture has garnered an international following in recent years. He currently lives and works in western Colorado with his two sons. Urban Horses will feature 9-10 new works created especially for this exhibition.
 
Founded in 2001, Madison Gallery is committed to representing emerging, mid-career and established international artists whom work in a range of media. Inspired by an earnest dedication and passion for art, the gallery consistently exhibits a high standard of contemporary art. Madison Gallery works closely in building private, corporate and public collections thus placing it amongst the leading contemporary galleries in California.