Saturday, September 30, through Sunday, December 31
Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA
Boasting more than 40 paintings produced over the course of 70 years, the Figge's latest exhibition will showcase the artistic journey of Rock Island native Koen – one of the most distinguished artists of the 20th Century.
Active during a time of rapid change in American art, Rock Island High School graduate Koen briefly attended Augustana College before studying at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1903 to 1908, and during the 1920s and '30s, she was an active member of the Davenport Municipal Art Gallery, a precursor of the Figge Art Museum. Her works range from light-filled, impressionist scenes of the Eastern seaboard to expressive oil paintings from her 30 years spent in Mexico, plus pieces that Koen created during her travels in France, England, Germany, North Africa, and Asia. A number of these paintings are cherished family heirlooms, and currently on loan courtesy of private collectors with roots in the Quad Cities.
The opening reception for Irma René Koen: An Artist Rediscovered will take place at 5:30 p.m. on October 5, with a curator talk at 7 p.m., and the lecture “An Interesting Rock Island Girl: The Modern Art and Life of Irma Rene Koen” will be presented at the Rock Island Downtown Library at 6 p.m. on October 11. For more information on the exhibit and its related programming is available by calling (563)326-7804 or visiting FiggeArtMuseum.org.
