2016 Edward Loper, Jr. (born 1934) Oil on canvas, Collection of the artist © Edward Loper, Jr.
The Delaware Art Museum announced the exhibit of the Distinguished Artist Series – a part of the museum’s strategic vision to highlight local artists and welcome diverse audiences.
This new program celebrates artists who have for 50 years or more-impacted contemporary art in the greater Wilmington area through their artistic practices, teaching, and support for the community and its various institutions. Through unique exhibitions and associated programming, the series will examine these artists’ legacies as they relate to local, national, and international artistic trends.
The Distinguished Artist Series will begin in March 2019 with a two-person exhibition of paintings by Edward Loper, Sr. and Edward Loper, Jr.
The Lopers on Film, March 23 – May 12, 2019, Gallery 9
Edward L. Loper: Prophet of Color. Directed and produced by Sharon K. Baker, 35 min., Teleduction, Inc., 1999. 2000 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Production.
Recollections of Edward Loper, Jr. Produced by Richard Weisgrau and Senior Artists Initiative in association with the Delaware Art Museum, 26 min., 2019.
The Loper Tradition: Paintings by Edward Loper, Sr. and Edward Loper, Jr., March 23 – August 4, 2019 , Galleries 11 and 12: Ammon Memorial Galleries) Select works will be on view in Galleries 15 and 16: The Lynn Herrick Sharp
Galleries Gallery 17
The Distinguished Artist Series opens with the first comprehensive museum exhibition to showcase the paintings of Edward Loper, Sr. and his son, Edward Loper Jr. and their continued artistic impact on this region.
On view March 23 through August 4, 2019, The Loper Tradition: Paintings by Edward Loper, Sr. and Edward Loper, Jr. will feature more than 30 paintings assembled from the Museum’s collection, private individuals, and other public institutions.
Edward Loper, Sr. is one of Delaware’s best known artists. He lived his entire life in Delaware and taught generations of local artists.
His son, Loper, Jr. was equally prolific. He was formerly the head of the Visual Arts department at Christina Cultural Arts Center and participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout the region. Their styles, though distinct, share an approach to form and color and acknowledge modernist traditions from the turn of the 20th century.
“The community and my family are very excited that this exhibition is taking place. It’s long overdue,” says Jamie Loper, son of Edward Loper, Jr. “Spending the last two years really learning about my father’s and grandfather’s art has awakened a hopefulness in me… We can look at a broken down house and might feel sad or depressed. But they can take these subjects and scenes and reintroduce them to us in celebration so that they can be seen as beautiful.”
