Exhibition Dates: Saturday, August 7th – September 11th, 2010
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 7th, 6– 8 pm
Location: Arthur Roger Gallery, 432 Julia Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Gallery Hours: Monday – Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Contact Info: 504.522.1999; www.arthurrogergallery.com
The Arthur Roger Gallery is pleased to present “Opera Houses,” an exhibition of photographs by David Leventi. The exhibition will be on view at the Arthur Roger Gallery, 432 Julia Street, August 7 – September 11, 2010. Mr. Leventi will be in attendance at the opening reception hosted by the gallery on Saturday, August 7th, from 6 to 9 pm in conjunction with “White Linen Night.”
Estates Theatre, Praque, Czech Republic, 2008
Employing both 4″x5″ and 8″x10″ Arca-Swiss cameras that maximize detail, Leventi creates a body of large scale photographs that document the intricate interiors of famous opera houses around the world, such as the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. In these dramatic photographs, Leventi seeks to alter both lateral and vertical symmetry in order to flatten out the opera houses. Space, in perfect equilibrium, creates the effect of the viewer being surrounded from the spot at center stage where performers would stand. Rows of velvet seats, ornate private boxes, chandeliers and gilt decorations are captured in incredible detail and symbolize the wealth and grandeur of its respective nation.
The opera houses in this body of work were specifically chosen by Leventi because they are all places his grandfather, a cantor, never had the opportunity to perform. His grandfather, who was trained by the famous Danish operatic tenor, Helge Rosvaenge, often sang to Leventi when he was a child. The son of two architects, the artist says he felt a “religious feeling walking into a grand space such as an opera house.” For him the actual space can feel like the event itself and he invites his viewers to “pour over the details, to feel the potential energy in a space where it is all just about to happen.”
In 2001, he received his Bachelors of Fine Arts in Photography from Washington University in Saint Louis. His photographs have been widely published in Culture + Travel, Vanity Fair, New York Times, Style Magazine, Travel & Leisure, Black Book, Best Life, Forbes, LIFE Magazine, and Time Out New York. In 2008, his work was included in Communication Arts Photography Annual and in American Photography 24 as well as receiving two Graphis Gold awards.
For additional information please contact the Arthur Roger Gallery at 504.522.1999 or visit our Web site www.arthurrogergallery.com.