UA’s Paul Jones Gallery of Art Showcases Miniature Art

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Forget murals and mammoth outdoor sculptures. The new exhibit at The University of Alabama’s Paul R. Jones Gallery in downtown Tuscaloosa is featuring art at the other end of the spectrum—not big paintings, but miniatures—through July 22.

The exhibit, “In Miniature: Small Pictures from The Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art,” was curated by Emily Bibb, the gallery’s collections manager, and is free and open to the public.

“There is a long tradition of miniatures in art, from portraits that could be carried with a traveler or sent to a faraway suitor to intricate sculptures carved out of a single small piece of wood,” Bibb said. “This show pulls together some of the smaller pieces from the Jones Collection to give them their due. Good things, after all, come in small packages.”

The Paul R. Jones Gallery honors the late Paul R. Jones who, during his lifetime, amassed one of the largest collections of African-American art in the world. Jones donated more than 2,100 pieces of his collection, now valued at $10.3 million, to UA in 2008.

Jones was known as a passionate collector who sought to collect from both well-known and lesser-known artists, a quality which makes his collection distinct.

The Paul R. Jones Gallery is located at 2308 6th St. in downtown Tuscaloosa. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the first Friday of every month from noon to 8 p.m.

The Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes and Goldwater scholarships.

Contact

Courtney Corbridge, communications specialist, College of Arts and Sciences, 205/348-8539, courtney.a.corbridge@ua.edu

Source

Emily Bibb, 205/348-1850