James Hennessey Exhibit “Italian Pictures” Opens at Palazzo Italia

James Hennessey, former professor of painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art, opens an exhibition of his paintings and drawings in Palazzo Italia’s Galleria Italia on Sunday, February 2 at 3:00 in the afternoon. The exhibit, which Hennessey calls simply “Italian Pictures,” is inspired by his travels through Italy over the past several decades.

Hennessey’s surreal and fictitious environments are painted in a manner reminiscent of the Italian renaissance. He manipulates light and space in order to further enhance his fresco-like fracture, and his subject matter and colors are suffused with Italian light and landscapes. His images become surreal, unsettling and more interesting with his idiosyncratic perspective. For instance, an otherwise uneventful domestic setting becomes distorted by the way in which a teacup is balancing itself impossibly upon a table.

James Hennessey is a highly acclaimed artist. In 1962 he won the prestigious Rome Prize. His numerous solo exhibitions include various shows at the Marilyn Pearl Gallery in New York, the Alpha Gallery in Boston, and the U.S.I.S. Gallery in Milan. Group shows have included the Los Angeles International Art Fair, the National Academy of Design in New York, the Yale School of Art and Architecture and the Museum of Modern Art.

In addition to the Rome Prize, Hennessey has received numerous fellowships and awards, including the Yale-Norfolk Fellowship, the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant and the Mellon Works in Progress Grant.

Recently retired from more than thirty years at the Maryland Institute, where he was honored by the Trustees of the College with the Excellence in Teaching Award, Dr. Hennessey also led MICA’s Italian Program in Sorrento.

Dr. Hennessey’s wife, Dr. Pamela Potter-Hennessey, lectured at Palazzo Italia in the fall on the Italian artists who came to the new American republic to design and craft the rich ornamentation of our most prestigious government buildings and monuments.

The Drs. Hennessey are accomplished authors. They contributed to the highly-acclaimed City Secrets series, City Secrets: Florence, Venice, and the Towns of Italy, a unique and sophisticated guidebook that compiles the recommendations of some of the world's most eminent authors, artists and architects.

The opening reception for “Italian Pictures” begins at 3:00 PM on Sunday. You will enjoy light fare while browsing the exhibit and greeting the artist. (Parking is free at the Franklin Street Garage between Charles and Cathedral Streets after 3:00 on Sundays.)

The Hennessey exhibit will hang in Galleria Italia through March 24. For information on visiting the gallery outside of the opening reception, please call 410-547-9934.