VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

The University of Houston Downtown - O'Kane Gallery presents the exhibition Leila McConnell and Henri Gadbois: Side By Side, on view October 1 through November 5.

Leila McConnell and Henri Gadbois: Side By Side is an exhibition celebrating the careers of Texas artists Leila McConnell and Henri Gadbois. Though married and working side by side for over fifty years, Gadbois and McConnell’s individual styles offer insight into their participation in the burgeoning mid-20th century art scene in Houston, Texas. Their paintings reflect the unique vision of each artist as it has evolved through half a century.

The exhibition will consist of works by each artist that highlight major points in their careers from the 1950s to the present day.

Leila McConnell moved to Houston as a young girl. Originally an architecture student at Rice University, McConnell opted for a career in painting creating beautifully introspective portraits. The meditative quality of these early portraits is present in her later abstract paintings consisting of hard edged geometry and vibrant fields of color fields.

Henri Gadbois, a native Houstonian, known both as an artist and teacher, provides a portfolio of works that are indicative of an adventurous spirit often rooted in themes of nature. Early landscapes abstracted with collaged painted burlap on canvas or cubist styled still-lives evolve into dense realist views of common country scenes.

Leila McConnell and Henri Gadbois continue to be vibrant and active painters. Their commitment to their discipline and their integrity as artists has surely helped to set the tone for the diverse and active contemporary scene of Houston today.

The O’Kane Gallery is free and open to the public, Monday-Saturday, 10-5pm For images of the exhibition or more information please call Brad Thomason @ 713-221-8042.

Pictured above:  Henri Gadbois, detail Field Pattern,  (1960) oil, 24 x 30 inches, courtesy of the artist.  (Full image, below).