Vincent, Weaver, Gorvett: Gloucester, Three Visions
Oct. 24, 2015 — March 26, 2016
An exhibition of artwork by Jeff Weaver, Don Gorvett, and the late Peter Vincent that explores how one place—Gloucester—inspired the artistic output of three of the region’s most talented and dynamic artists.
During the early 1970s, the lives of Jeff Weaver, Don Gorvett and Peter Vincent converged here on Cape Ann. All former students of the School of the Museum of Fine Art, Boston, for a time Don and Jeff shared studio space in an apartment building in Gloucester’s Fort neighborhood; Peter, who lived in Rockport, was a frequent visitor. A passion for art and youthful enthusiasm were the common threads that ran through their lives and for each artist, Gloucester’s hardscrabble working waterfront with its long and colorful history was the attraction.
The late 1960s and early ‘70s was a complex and transitional period for Gloucester and its fishing industry. Still recovering from the sweep of Urban Renewal which leveled many sections of the waterfront, the community watched as the fresh fish industry, which for so long had defined the City and its people, settled into a period of slow steady decline. The fleet was aging, insurance costs were rising and waterfront jobs were evaporating. While a handful of new buildings went up during this time and many of the old decaying wharves that encircled the harbor were razed, some sections of the waterfront were almost miraculously left untouched. It was those areas where vestiges of earlier times could still be seen that caught the attention and the artistic imaginations of Jeff Weaver, Don Gorvett and Peter Vincent. Looking back on those early years, Weaver remembers that in addition to exploring Gloucester’s waterfront on foot, he and Don and Peter would sometimes scour the area in an old Banks fishing dory fitted with “spritsail” and centerboard, filling the storehouses of their imaginations with images that would be translated into drawings, paintings and prints for years to come.
Jeff Weaver, Don Gorvett and Peter Vincent are each extraordinarily versatile artists excelling in a broad range of mediums over the course of their careers. For each, drawing is fundamental and the basis for the success of their finished work be it in oil, acrylic, a block print or a lithograph. On display here is a broad sampling of each artist’s work, intended to give an overview of their individual accomplishments and, at the same time, a window into the strong bonds of friendship that developed between the three over the years.
In connection with Gloucester, Three Visions, the Cape Ann Museum is pleased to offer three gallery talks presented by Jeff Weaver, Don Gorvett and Eoin Vincent, a nephew of the late Peter Vincent. A panel discussion will also be held during which Jeff, Don and Eoin will be joined in conversation by Debbie Hagan, Editor-in-Chief of Art New England and Peter Anastas, a local historian and cultural observer.
Images, above left to right: Peter Vincent (1947–2012), Howard Blackburn [detail] (undated), egg tempera on board, gift of Dr. and Mrs. Harold White, 1993 [Acc. #2887]; Jeff Weaver, Pavilion Beach [detail] (2006), oil on canvas, gift of the artist, 2008 [Acc. #2008-25]; (right) Don Gorvett, Gloucester Reveries [detail] (1996), woodblock reduction print, 9 of 12, gift of the artist, 1996 [Acc. #1996.32].
In the news:
The grit and beauty of Gloucester inspires exhibit at Cape Ann Museum
ART REVIEW: 'Three Visions' of Gloucester's waterfront at Cape Ann Museum
Related Programs
Saturday, November 7 at 9:30 a.m.
The Art & Life of Peter Vincent: A Gallery Talk with Eoin Vincent
Saturday, November 14 at 9:30 a.m.
Jeff Weaver Gallery Talk
Saturday, December 19 at 10:00 a.m.
Don Gorvett Gallery Talk
Saturday, January 23 at 2:00 p.m.
A Conversation with Eoin Vincent, Jeff Weaver and Don Gorvett
Gallery talks are free for Museum members / $10 nonmembers (includes admission). Space is limited, reservations required: (978) 283-0455 x10 or [email protected]. Updates and details at capeannmuseum.org.