Celebrated Still Life Artist Showing New Works At Doylestown's Michener Museum

DOYLESTOWN, PA — There is still time to catch "Peter Paone: Not So Still Life" at the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, but time is running out.

The exhibition, which runs through March 15, showcases nearly 40 recent paintings and drawings by celebrated Philadelphia artist Peter Paone, inspired by Dutch vanitas paintings, a style intended to encourage contemplation of the passage of time and the inevitability of death.

Curated by Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest Chief Curator Laura Turner Igoe, the exhibition presents nearly 40 recent paintings by the artist along with examples of Paone’s drawings that helped to generate his finished still lifes.

Paone said, "Historically, a still life painting has included subjects of domestic arrangements found within the artist’s reach. For me, a still life painting is much more than a composition of household goods. It’s a gathering from a journey of a life lived.”

His work prompts questions and invites viewers to interpret narratives from what he described as “objects draped in color performing together on a tabletop stage in a framed theater.”

Peter Paone, Naughty and Nice, 2021. Acrylic on panel, 20 x 16 inches. Courtesy of the artist. (Photo by Christian Giannelli)

Igoe added, “These tantalizing still lifes from Peter Paone delight the eye with bright colors, fantastical creatures, and imaginative cakes and table settings. They also encourage us to engage with the world around us, ask questions, and think about new possibilities.”

Paone’s artistic method involves working from his imagination rather than models or direct observations. His extensive sketches inform his still life paintings, alongside objects collected over his 89 years. The exhibition features never-before-exhibited paintings that reflect the artist's history and his concerns about contemporary American society.

A free family activity guide for Peter Paone: Not So Still Life is available at the Visitor’s Services desk, with prizes for every completed submission. The exhibition is accompanied by a 92-page full-color catalogue on sale at the Museum Shop that includes short writings by Paone and his mentee, the artist Anastasia Alexandrin, an essay by Igoe, and a foreword by Executive Director Anne Corso.

“Michener Art Museum is honored to work with Paone on this exhibition and to bring it to the Bucks County community and beyond,” Corso said. “What I hope visitors see is the magic and mystery in Paone’s carefully constructed paintings, but also in the world around us—for none of us truly lives a still life.”

The Michener Art Museum is located at 138 S. Pine Street, Doylestown 18901. Hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free on the second Sunday of the month with support from Art Bridges Foundation. For more information about the museum, including museum and current exhibits, click here.