A studio in the gallery

"Born in Montevideo, Ignacio Iturria is one of Uruguay's most accomplished artists, having represented his country at the Venice Biennale in 1995. For more than four decades, the artist has examined society in a profound and poetic manner, creating work that invites us to view the world with amusement and hope. In his small theatrical stages filled with whimsical people and animals, Iturria creates universes inside of which he transforms found objects and uses trompe-l'oeil effects to play with viewers' perceptions. Approximately forty such paintings are the focus of the first part of the exhibition, A Studio in the Gallery: The Playful Universe of Ignacio Iturria, a retrospective illustrating key moments in the artist's trajectory. The second part of the exhibition features a living studio in which the artist will work in collaboration with Purchase College students during a two-month residency. The new works created during this collaboration will be added to the retrospective as they are completed. During the course of the residency, visitors will be invited to enter the space and meet the artist."--from the Neuberger Museum of Art's website.