DeGrazia Gallery: 100 Years, 100 Works

Wednesday, 02 September 2009 18:51

As the morning sun shifted over the Catalina Mountains, the aridness of the desert sky and the crikity crunch of the stone path at the DeGrazia Gallery In the Sun ignited a still peacefulness at the wonderfully secluded location along Swan Road in Tucson, Ariz.

The DeGrazia Gallery In The Sun, located at 6300 N. Swan Road is celebrating Ted DeGrazia's centennial birthday with a special exhibition titled "DeGrazia: 100 Years, 100 Works" at the property that was once home to the artist. The exhibition is on display for a full year in DeGrazia's honor, running from January 23, 2009 to January 15, 2010.

As a pseudo-Tucson native myself, Ettore "Ted" DeGrazia was always a name I heard, and his paintings were often images I had seen – but I never knew about his gallery here in Tucson. After visiting the property for the centennial exhibition, a surge of tranquility emerged and an awareness for what I can describe as one of Tucson's finest gems came to life.

The "100 Years, 100 Works" exhibition presents 100 pieces of art that shows DeGrazia's artistic progression through the decades and his ever-changing themes and artistic media, said Lance Laber, Executive Director at the DeGrazia Gallery.

“He covered a lot of subjects, there really isn’t one theme that stands out more than any others,” Laber said.

While DeGrazia covered many subjects, his exhibition communicated his overwhelming passion for American Indians and for history in general.

"He loved Indians and would rather spend his time with them more than anyone else," Laber said. "DeGrazia also took a lot of pride in knowing history and understanding history.”

The centennial exhibition displays pieces from DeGrazia's life that best represented who he was as an artist, beginning with his earliest work from 1925 when DeGrazia was only a teenager and finishing in the 1970's, close to DeGrazia's death in 1982, Laber said.

As I walked under the wooden beam ceilings suspended over a stone floor emulated from a cholla cactus skeleton, I saw the progression of DeGrazia's artwork and felt the construction of the gallery making my DeGrazia experience all the more intoxicating.

DeGrazia's vibrant paintings and themes came to life as they hung on walls painted in illuminating earth tones, making it apparent that this exhibition was able to create a total sensory experience for its viewers and patrons.

The exhibition displays some of DeGrazia's most famous and reproduced paintings such as "Los Niños" from 1957, "Roadrunner" from 1960 and "Little Angel", a pastel piece he painted live on an episode of the Today Show in 1964, Laber explained.

A lot of DeGrazia's success was a result of his ability to beautifully depict people and craft their emotions on a canvas, Laber said. He also said that DeGrazia was his own best promoter, and since his death, it's been the DeGrazia Gallery's goal to keep his spirit alive, and his art remembered.

"He was big when he was alive, he was such a character and a cult of personality," said Laber. "Since his death, it's really hard to promote him the way he promoted himself."

While the "100 Years, 100 Works" exhibition is a wonderful tribute to DeGrazia's art, vision, and legacy, Laber mentioned how important it is that DeGrazia still be humanized within his art.

"It was important to him to be a regular, common man," said Laber.

As I left the gallery and crunched over the crikity stone path once more, the arid sky and secluded space of the DeGrazia Gallery was even more tranquil than before. The "100 Years, 100 Works" exhibition is a remarkable tribute and will go a long way in preserving DeGrazia's presence in the art world and in Tucson.

Written by Laura Lajiness You are reading DeGrazia Gallery: 100 Years, 100 Works articles