Anna Broell Bresnick

Four Stops Along an Artistic Path

June 24 – September 3, 2023

Price List for Exhibition

Read the Review in the Arts Paper

Statement from the Artist:

Discovering new landscapes and architecture is one of the most rewarding the aspects of traveling. No matter what the language, the visual rewards of taking in the surrounding natural environment as well as seeing what people have built in these various places is rich stuff for the artist. There are four distinct series in this exhibition, all of which were highly influenced by my own travels.

The series “Vertical Landscapes” were begun after several excursions around Eastern Europe in the 1970s and ’80’s. Each structure is based on a very distinct place in the former Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia or in Rumania, and the titles often refer to the historical events or essential qualities of these specific locations.

“From the Venetian Glass Pen” was a series based on the many walks and rides around Venice and the island of Morano (known for its glass work). After returning to my apartment, I would spend the evening drawing with my new glass pens and inks, inspired by my recollections of the colors of the Venice and fragments of the art, both large and small – painting, sculpture, fences, chandeliers.

“Waldszenen” is a series of drawings inspired by the darker side of Schuberts composition of the same name, Op. 82.  Birds (my subject), like people, but unlike any other species, are able to traverse the globe’s oceans and landmasses. These birds, however, are now traversing a new landscape – that of an increasingly degraded one.

Wall Sculptures

The rest of the smaller wall pieces are abstractions focusing on merging  a verity of materials such as wood, rice paper, paper, fur, metal and shells. Combining contrasting materials, the fragile and the strong, mass and no mass, allows for a complex relationship within each piece. Unifying the material is an essential part of unified the content.

About the Artist:

Anna Broell Bresnick has exhibited her work numerous museums including the de Cordova Museum, Berkshire Museum, LACE, Stamford Museum, and the Bruce Museum as well as The Mills Gallery at the Boston Center for the Arts. She has exhibited in galleries in New York, the West Coast and throughout the United States as well as in Berlin, Rome and Vienna.  Her work has been written about in the New York Times, Art In America, Art New England and many regional newspapers.  She has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including two from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, a Weir Farm Art Center Residency, two full residency grants to the Vermont Studio Center and two Artist In Residence Grants from the International Festival For The Arts, New Haven, CT.  She served 4 years as the director/curator of the John Slade Ely House, Center for Contemporary Art, New Haven, CT, and has curated a number of independent exhibitions.  She studied at the Akademie fuer Angewante Kunst in Vienna, Austria, and received her MFA from San Jose State University.  

Anna Broell Bresnick has collaborated with dancers and musicians in the creation of installations for performances. These have included large sculptural structures, floor drawings and video.

Broell Bresnick has taught at Stanford University, University of New Haven, University of Bridgeport and the Educational Center for the Arts, where she served as Visual Arts Department Chair for 29 years. She has given lectures at a number of museums, galleries and universities.

Anna Broell Bresnick was born in Hamburg, German, has lived in Vienna and Rome and currently resides in New Haven, CT. USA

More information on the artist’s website: https://www.annabroellbresnick.com