“The Sardonic Eye: Bob Lockhart in Context” runs Nov. 21-Dec. 24 at the University of Louisville’s Cressman Center for Visual Arts, 100 E. Main St. The show is part of “The Untold Tale of Bob Lockhart: A Retrospective,” a series of three exhibitions about Lockhart co-produced by the Louisville Visual Art Association, Bellarmine University and the UofL Hite Art Institute.
“The Sardonic Eye” showcases the ‘sarcastic, cynical, somewhat acid’ part of Lockhart’s work, said curator Peter Morrin, director of the Center for Arts and Culture Partnerships at UofL. Several of Lockhart’s ink or oil pastel pieces as well as wooden and ceramic sculptures will be on display next to 15 other artists’ works in video, print, photography and installation art that were created in the same vein as Lockhart’s sardonic work. The show includes pieces from the Hite Art Institute Print Collection and private collections.
“This is a very narrow aspect of Lockhart’s career, but is one of the most engaging in its humor, inventiveness and pointed social commentary,” Morrin said.
A celebrated artist who specializes in sculpting, Lockhart has been at the forefront of art in Louisville and Kentucky for more than four decades. He founded the art program at Bellarmine University in 1967 and taught there until his retirement in 2010. As an artist and an educator, Lockhart believes that part of an artists’ responsibility is to acknowledge injustice and challenge viewers to push past their comfort zones into action.
“The Sardonic Eye” is the last of the three Lockhart exhibits to open in Louisville. Additionally, “All of Lockhart,” a broad selection of Lockhart’s work, is on display at the Louisville Visual Arts PUBLIC Gallery and “Bobzilla! The Legacy of Lockhart,” is located at Bellarmine’s McGrath Gallery and includes 28 pieces by Lockhart’s former students.
A progressive reception celebrating the retrospective will begin at 5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 21, at PUBLIC gallery and move to the Cressman Center at 7 p.m. for remarks by Lockhart and Morrin.