Flowers for Tony | January 30- March 6, 2016

Flowers for Karen IV by Tony Csavas, 2014 oil on canvas, 36 x 48

Charleston, SC – The City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs presents Flowers for Tony at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park January 30 through March 6, 2016, featuring the work of the late Tony Csavas, a prolific painter and inspiring professor at the College of Charleston who died in 2014. The exhibition, curated by Csavas’ long-time partner Karen Ann Myers, will open with a reception on Friday, January 29 from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibition will close with a special reception on Friday, March 4 from 5 to 7p.m.. All events are free and open to the public.

Prior to his death, planning was underway for the Press Street Gallery of New Orleans to bring Csavas’ work to Louisiana for an exhibition organized by Press Street Executive Director Bob Snead and Csavas’ longtime partner Karen Ann Myers. This posthumous traveling exhibition, entitled Flowers for Tony, was on view in New Orleans from February 14 – March 02, 2015 and next travels to Charleston.

Flowers for Karen II by Tony Csavas, 2010, gouache and graphite on paper, 18 x 24

For partner Karen Ann Myers, Tony made several paintings and drawings entitled “Flowers for Karen.” It felt only appropriate to produce flowers for him. Friends, family, former students, and others were invited to participate in the exhibition by contributing “Flowers for Tony,” as a visual reflection on his life, his effect as an artist or friend, an interpretation of a piece of his that is memorable, or simply a depiction of a flower. Alongside this series of works produced by friends, colleagues, and former students, Flowers for Tony displays work that Csavas created from 2009 to 2014, exploring all aspects of his broad practice. The resulting exhibition is a celebration of his life.

About the Artist

Tony Csavas held a BFA from UC Santa Cruz and a MFA in painting from Boston University. He was an adjunct professor at the College of Charleston where he taught painting, drawing and contemporary art lecture courses. Csavas exhibited his work at the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art at Georgia Southern University in Statesborro, GA, Concurrent at the Knights of Columbus in Charleston, SC and Outerspace in Charleston, SC. He died in April, 2014.