Schoolhouse Theater Remembers Artist Gert Mathiesen With Exhibition of His Work

When Danish painter, printmaker and ceramicist Gert Mathiesen unexpectedly passed away four years ago, what remained in his wake are more than 1,000 works from his life as an artist. Twenty-five of these works have been travelling, much as Mathiesen did in life, as his wife and fellow artist Pamela Smilow organized a touring exhibition. After being exhibited at the Museum of Danish America in Iowa and Nordia House in Oregon, the pieces return to their rightful home at the Schoolhouse Theater, where the artist met Smilow, had an art studio and created a great deal of his pieces. Prints, paintings, woodcut pieces and more now line the walls of the Theater’s gallery throughout the summer. His use of linoleum as a canvas, as opposed to a means by which to transfer work onto a separate surface, leads as an example of the innovative approaches that Mathiesen took in the creation of his work. Bursting with vibrant colors and bold, expressionistic shapes, many of these works reflect Mathiesen’s life story, referencing his Danish heritage and Viking roots, but also incorporating other cultures into the mix.

Schoolhouse Theater is devoted to presenting professional theater to its community in a space where new work is explored. Additionally, it exhibits the work of local artists in an art gallery that is housed in its Croton Falls location. Matheisen’s work is on display Tues, Wed and Thurs, from 11am-2:45pm and by calling 914-277-8477 for an appointment. For more info, visit: schoolhousetheater.org.

Photo captions: Artwork by Gert Mathiesen (courtesy of Pamela Smilow and Schoolhouse Theater)

A version of this article first appeared in the July/August 2017 issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.