Tomás Lasansky: Icons and Muses

Tomás Lasansky: Icons and Muses on view in the Harnett Museum of Art, October 3 to December 5, 2010, features the work of Tomás Lasansky (American, born 1957), a contemporary artist who lives and works in Iowa City. In his paintings, prints, and drawings, he creates large, expressive, and colorful portraits of iconic figures from history and popular culture, such as Albert Einstein, Geronimo, Abraham Lincoln, Pablo Picasso, and his own personal muses. Son of the renowned printmaker Mauricio Lasansky, the artist has been profoundly influenced by his enthusiasm for history and for significant figures of the past, in particular great leaders, Native Americans, artists, and thinkers.

Tomás Lasansky, the youngest of six children, grew up in an artistic family. His father Mauricio (American, born Argentina 1914), the founder of the Iowa Print Group at the University of Iowa and considered one of the greatest printmakers and art educators of his generation, imparted the meticulous skills and discipline of drawing and printmaking to his children. Tomás Lasansky earned his BFA, MA, and MFA from the University of Iowa. His work has been included in more than one hundred and twenty exhibitions; thirty of which have been one-person exhibitions. The artist has received more than forty-five awards and his work is included in approximately forty public collections internationally including the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, IL; New York Public Library, Prints Collection; Joel and Lila Harnett Print Study Center, University of Richmond Museums; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA; and the United States Embassy: Vienna, Austria; Suva, Fiji; among others.  

The exhibition features more than twenty works including drawings, acrylic paintings, collage, etchings, and intaglio prints. Highlights include portraits of Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, Abraham Lincoln, Geronimo, and Lasansky family members. Lasansky’s first major work Portrait at Twenty-one, 1979, illustrates his skills with the traditional use of intaglio printmaking, drawing, and painting that give depth and sensitivity to his work. His portraits have been described as “well-articulated, persuasive images.  They are not only visually attractive, but they are also compelling psychological portraits, intimating the inner life of the subject,” according to Joseph S. Czestochowski from his essay in the accompanying book, Tomás Lasansky: Icons and Muses, published by 4 Peaks Press.  

For more than a decade, Lasansky has been influenced by American history and in particular the legacy of Native Americans. He states, “Even as a youngster I saw the American Indians as strong, fiercely independent, and loyal to their beliefs and traditions.” He continues by saying, “Of course, when I learned about their history, the greater my empathy and passion became for their way of life. The insensitivity and injustice that have been perpetuated on these people is a ghost that still lingers for me.”

This exhibition was organized by the University of Richmond Museums and curated by Richard Waller, Executive Director, University Museums, in collaboration with the artist.  The accompanying book, Tomás Lasansky: Icons and Muses, published by 4 Peaks Press, is available for purchase at the University Museums.