Martin Hurtig, renowned artist and UIC professor of art since 1962, will open a one-person exhibition entitled "Martin Hurtig: Transitions, Transformations" at UIC Gallery 400.

Hurtig's "Transitions, Transformations" is expected to surpass his acclaimed one-person show "Enigmatic Relations" of which art historian Sue Taylor said, "Hurtig's images are like dancers in an existential ballet - they spring from a rigorous and fully formed aesthetic, and draw their power from a profoundly empathic human spirit."

Opening reception
Wednesday, Aug. 23
4 - 7 p.m.

UIC Gallery 400
College of Architecture and the Arts
400 S. Peoria St.

According to Hurtig, his paintings are the culmination of conscientious use of technical devices, form and color and a complex process of formulating a problem and synthesizing a thorough solution.

"The first impression of Martin Hurtig's paintings is one of utmost simplicity," said Karen Indeck, former director of Gallery 400. "Only gradually do these works hint that their simplicity is the result of an arduous process of thinking, planning, organizing and reveal painstaking workmanship at each stage in the progress of the work."

Hurtig has received numerous commissions for his sculptural murals including ones from the Waukegan Public Library, the National Republic Bank and the Union Church of Lake Bluff.

The exhibit runs from Aug. 21 to Sept. 16. The gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Saturday, noon - 4 p.m. Direct exhibit questions to Stefanie McCleary at (312) 996-6114.