Magic & Imaginary Realms: Selections from the Elmhurst Art Museum Collection

Artwork image attribution: Peter Max, Universal Runner, Color Serigraph, 1970. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Ronald H. Stefani, Jr.

Magic & Imaginary Realms presents selections from the Elmhurst Art Museum’s Collection with works by artists who share uniquely inventive perceptions of the world around us - or who invent worlds we are invited to inhabit.

This peek into the collection draws inspiration from the whimsical worlds of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe and Someplace Else, created by Fred Rogers and continued into today's PBS KIDS show Donkey Hodie, showcased in the Museum's main galleries.

Here, we present visions of the strange and magical by artists working in a variety of media and representing a broad range of dates and approaches. Included are the completely made-up beings in works by Peter Max and Sonia Delaunay, mystical interior spaces created by Phillip Hansen, oddly revealing juxtapositions framed by photographer Caroline Allison, or the bizarre collision of worlds experienced by Rebecca Keller whilst standing at a photocopy machine, presented to us on a shoe.

The small selection of artworks presented here is indicative of the range and depth of the EAM Collection which includes works by local and regional artists together with those of international acclaim.

Artists:

Anonymous Japanese artist, Caroline Allison, Nikki Renee Anderson, Tarrant Clements, Sonia Delaunay, Philip Hansen, Sophia Harmon, Rebecca Keller, Kimberly Kopp, Aleš Lamr, Miles Lowry, Peter Max, Hollis Sigler, Nicholas Sistler, Buzz Spector, and Junsuke Watarai

Curated by Liz Chilsen, assistance from Holly Goodwin, Ana Rosaslanda, Karen Lecker & Stefania Camaci.