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“It was Ben Solowey’s desire to record the American landscape that led him to Bucks County,” say David Leopold, the Director of the Studio of Ben Solowey. “He painted in and around Philadelphia while a student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and after a trip to Europe in 1924 – 1925, he never left the continental United States again. Once he moved to New York, he left the city and traveled up and down the Eastern Seaboard to capture pastoral scenes before coming to Bedminster, Pennsylvania in the spring of 1936. Here he bought a 34 acre property that became his home and studio for the last four decades of his career. He said that every time he looked out a window he saw a landscape to paint.”
The art in the exhibition covers over a half century, from 1924 to 1978 and includes scenes of Casco Bay, Maine; Cross River, New York; and Pompton Lakes, New Jersey among others. “Ben was painter who lived in Bucks County,” explains Leopold, “rather than simply a Bucks County painter.”
This new installation of Solowey works will display Ben Solowey’s remarkable versatility in a wide variety of media including oils, watercolor, pastel, and printmaking. It will include old favorites as well as works never exhibited before.
All will be shown in Solowey’s handcrafted studio. Visiting the exhibition “you understand why Ben gave up the great life he had in New York in the theater and exhibiting his canvases at the top museums and galleries,” explains Leopold. “His studio maintains the atmosphere of the artist at work.” The inviting studio, and the 34 acre property it sits on, were created and landscaped by Solowey after he left New York in 1942. The Studio has been featured in Architectural Digest, Pennsylvania Heritage, The Discerning Traveler, and Bucks County Town and Country Living.
“In honor of our opening on June 2nd we will continue our tradition of serving homemade refreshments in the Solowey home, “ says Leopold. “The two hundred-year old farmhouse was restored by Ben and is filled with museum quality furniture handcrafted by him. We only open the house twice a year, so this truly is a special event. Also on June 2nd only we are waiving our $5 admission fee.”
“With our Second Studio devoted to landscapes,” says David Leopold, Director of The Studio of Ben Solowey, “Ben’s main studio will feature a new installation of Solowey paintings, drawings, and sculpture.”
All will be shown in Solowey’s handcrafted studio. “You understand why Ben gave up the great life he had in New York in the theater and exhibiting his canvases at the top museums and galleries,” explains Leopold. “He created a virtual paradise here and his studio still maintains the atmosphere of the artist at work.” The studio, and the 34-acre property it sits on, were developed and landscaped by Solowey after he and Rae left New York in 1942. The Studio has been featured in Architectural Digest, Pennsylvania Heritage, and Bucks County Town and Country Living.
General Information:
The Studio of Ben Solowey
3551 Olde Bedminster Road (mailing address P.O. Box 163)
Bedminster, Pennsylvania 18910
215-795-0228
Hours: Saturdays and Sundays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. from June 2 through June 24th. Other times by appointment.
Admission: $5; free on Saturday June 2nd. Free Admission with invitation.
© 2007 The Ben Solowey Collection. All Rights Reserved.