Photos, posters and paintings featured in museum's summer exhibitions

Mario Bencomo's "Hortus Conclusus," 1996 oil on canvas, is in the Johnson Museum's "Cuba! The Jay and Anita Hyman Collection of 20th Century Cuban Paintings" exhibition through Aug. 13.

By Erin T. Moss

The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art celebrated its Summer 2000 Exhibition Saturday, June 24, with an opening reception. Among the featured exhibitions are a large photography collection, art nouveau posters, political works and Cuban paintings. In addition to a view of the art, some 400 visitors at the open house were offered hors d'oeuvres, a wine bar and live music showcasing the talents of local musicians Hank Roberts, Bill King and Peter Dodge.

Here are the featured exhibitions:

Politics in Print, a collection that represents various political themes, is on display through Aug. 13. Featured artists, such as Andy Warhol, have put their own spin on political icons and events and demonstrated how politics is perceived through the eyes of the artist. An election year special.

One Man's Eye: Alan Siegel is on display through Aug. 13 and features stunning photographs from Siegel's vast personal collection, from landscapes to celebrity portraits.

Form and Fantasy: Decorative Art and Art Posters from the Isabel and William Berley Collection, showing through Aug. 13, is a recent gift to the Johnson Museum's permanent collection. Art nouveau posters, silver pieces and other decorative objects are some of the items on display.

City of Light, a grouping of images from Paris, is on display through Aug. 13. A unique collection of photography, paintings and sketches displays the best of the city and contributes to one's perception of Paris as the height of fashion, art and romance. The timeless "La Basier du Trottoir (The Sidewalk Kiss)" by Robert Doisneau is a featured photograph in the exhibition.

Cuba! The Jay and Anita Hyman Collection of 20th Century Cuban Paintings, showing through Aug. 13, exhibits one of the foremost American collections of Cuban art, depicting the people and objects associated with that culture. Images of bright, bold colors are a common theme throughout the collection. Accompanying the exhibition at the opening reception was guitar player Carlos Gutierrez.

Decompositions: Photographs by John Pfahl and Poems by David Weiss, a collection of photography and poetry, on display through Aug. 6, depicts a slightly unusual form of art -- large, semiabstract color photographs of Buffalo artist Pfahl's backyard compost pile. The exhibition raises some interesting points about change and the passage of time, and it is accompanied by Weiss' poetry, which was inspired by the images. Prior to the reception, in a special gallery talk, Pfahl and Weiss discussed their collaboration.