Retrospective of William Conger at Chicago Cultural Center

EVANSTON, Ill. --- A retrospective of the artwork of Northwestern Professor Emeritus William Conger is at the Chicago Cultural Center now through March 29. "William Conger: Paintings 1958 to 2008" includes more than 60 mostly large-scale works created by the abstract painter over a 50-year career.

"Most of these works I've not seen since I made them," said Conger, who for many years was chair of Northwestern's department of art theory and practice. "It's like sending your kids off into the world in preschool and having them come back when they're 45 years old."

Conger has been a constant on the Chicago art scene since his first solo gallery exhibition in 1974. His boldly colorful works blending organic and geometric abstraction are held in many collections, including Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Some in the art world call Conger a rare breed of Chicago artist, one who doesn't leave. Conger, who retired from Northwestern's faculty in 2006 after a long teaching career, still lives in the same Chicago neighborhood in which he grew up.

Judy Ledgerwood, associate professor of Northwestern's art theory and practice department, said "Conger's simultaneous stewardship of the department and rigorous practice as an artist created a standard that continues to make the department one of the strongest and most vibrant anywhere."

For further information about the Conger retrospective, call (312) 744-6630.