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City exhibition showcases large-scale artworks

Does bigger artwork make for better artwork? BIG AND BOLD: An Exhibition of Sizable Artworks examines many of the city’s larger artworks in its Portable Works Collection. BIG AND BOLD is on view through Sept. 28 at the Seattle Municipal Tower Gallery.

BIG AND BOLD highlights 11 artworks by 10 artists, including Guy Anderson, Mike Hascall, Jenny Hyde, William Hoppe, William Ivey, Isaac Layman, Robert Maki, Lucinda Parker, Michele Russo and Elizabeth Sandvig (links).

At 70 by 96 inches, Hoppe’s Close Copy (1973) is the largest work on display. Despite its dimensions, the work is quiet and contemplative. Not so with Parker’s 73-inch square painting Valentine Machine (1980), a riot of color that explodes from the wall. Layman’s 48-by-70-inch Extension Cords (2006) “demonstrates the present penchant photographers have for making photos as huge as possible,” explains City Curator and Collections Manager Deborah Paine. Paine selected the artworks from the city’s Portable Works Collection.

Image: Isaac Layman, Extension Cords, 2006, archival inkjet print. Photo courtesy of the artist.