Internationally Known Local Artist to Display Works at Cabrillo Gallery

More than ten years have passed since art lovers have enjoyed an exhibit of Futzie Nutzle’s work. And now, the reclusive artist, who has been living in San Juan Bautista with his wife, Halina, is making a comeback.

The exhibit Futzie Nutzle: Paintings and Works on Paper will be available for viewing at the Cabrillo College Art Gallery starting Saturday, March 19 and running until April 22.

Nutzle, a.k.a. Bruce Kleinsmith, was well-known in Santa Cruz and throughout the Bay Area for his witty style represented by his drawings, paintings, cartoons and posters from the late 1960s to the 1990s.

His work came to national attention when his cartoons were displayed on the Letters page of Rolling Stone Magazine in the 1970s. That exposure led him to become a regular contributor to the magazine, which published his pen and ink drawings for many years.

Stephen Kessler, a writer for Metro Santa Cruz, said of the artist’s work at that time: “Nutzle’s distinctive, spare, fine black ink line, set off against its stark white background, was uniquely unmistakable for its minimalist clarity, sophisticated wit and nutty originality.”

Nutzle’s work was also known internationally, appearing in the Prague Post and the Japan Times. Locally, the Metro and Santa Cruz Weekly featured his drawings in their publications. Two volumes of his collected works have been published: Modern Loafer and Run the World. Private collectors hold many of his drawings and paintings, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the New York MOMA, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City and the Oakland Museum have collections of his art as well.

Now nearly 70, Nutzle is back on the scene and appears to have every intention of continuing his unique fanciful creations, aptly described by the Cabrillo Gallery this way:

“Imagine a Dr. Seuss illustration, then mix it up with a Vincent van Gogh painting with subjects that are either personal or political, and you have a Nutzle painting.”

The exhibit runs from Mar 18 to Apr 22, 2011. See the Cabrillo Gallery website for directions to the gallery and gallery hours.

A reception for the artist will be held Sat, Mar 19 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Nutzle will give a talk Thu, Mar 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the Cabrillo Gallery.