“If we think about it, the word Island can suggest many meanings. The demarcated entity, separate from its environment can above all give rise to the human personality, which however much a part of society it may be, is an autonomous concept in itself. Island may describe the brutal narrowness of an imposed loneliness, but also the loneliness of a victim of self-confinement. It can describe a sheltered place for a close, friendly community, portray an exiled, excluded people or conversely, voice a plea for a wider, ideal, happier world. Island can be presented as a closed form or may be also be pictured as being comprised of disconnected, unrelated parts”. – Albert Kováts. Chair, Society of Hungarian Painters. (September 20, 2018)
“Ha belegondulunk, a sziget szónak számos jelentése feltárulhat. A körülhatárolt, környezetétől különálló entitás mindenek előtt az emberi személyiséget idézheti fel, aki bármennyire is része a társadalomnak, magában való, öntörvényű fogalom. Lehet ez a rideg, beszűkült, ellenséges magány, de az önmagába zárkózásra szorított, sértett személyiség magánya is. A SZIGET lehet bensőséges, baráti közösség védett helyszíne, de lehet a társadalomból száműzött, kirekesztett ember hona, vagy akár elvágyódás tárgya is egy tágabb, ideális, boldogabb világba. – Képileg részeket összefogó, zárt forma, de SZIGET lehet a kiszakadt, társtalan rész is”. – Kováts Albert. Elnöke, Magyar Festők Társasága. (2018. szeptember 20)
The White Paintings / Fehér képek(see catalog here) juried exhibition of the Hungarian Painters’ Association opened on November 16th at the City Library and Gallery in Szigetszentmiklós, just outside Budapest, and runs through December 7th.
The theme of white was new, offering opportunity for a contrasting or even opositional visual exploration to the past Black Paintings / Fekete Képek juried exhibitions of 2008 and 2011 (see catalogs here and here).
My two pieces in the exhibit, White Fire – 1 and 2, were done in the context of the Attila József series. These two new works revisited József ‘s poem Fire is Now White(Most Fehér a tűz) already the source of a piece by the same name.
February 7 – 23, 2025 The Front Gallery 6 Barre St., Montpelier, Vermont Gallery Hours: Fridays 4-7 pm Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 5pm or by appointment (802) 552-0877 info@thefrontvt.com Montpelier Art Walk Opening Reception: Friday, November 6, 4-8 PM
LATEST SOLO EXHIBITION: DIANE SOPHRIN. Chaos and Catharsis: Works on a Continuum
January 3 – February 2, 2025 THE FRONT GALLERY 6 Barre St., Montpelier, Vermont Gallery Hours: Fridays 4-7 pm Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 5pm or by appointment (802) 552-0877 info@thefrontvt.com
Opening Reception: Friday January 3, 4:00-7:00 PM. Artist’s Talk: Saturday January 18, 2:00 – 4:00 PM A full video of the entire talk and stimulating discussion that followed can now be seen on the Front Gallery’s website: Link to Diane Sophrin’s Talk
“CHAOS AND CATHARSIS, WORKS ON A CONTINUUM” presents selections from past decades of work done in Vermont and Budapest. The “Reconstructed Fragments Series” (2011), “Fragmentum Series” (2013), “Dialogs with József Attila Series” (2017), and my latest large collages “21st Century Icon Series” all focus on a continuum of fragmentation and chaos, reunification and repair, exploring through collage and paint themes more pertinent than ever.
Start this new year in the company of like-minded friends & colleagues at The Front Gallery, looking at art that challenges and empowers!
December 6 – 29, 2024 The Front Gallery 6 Barre St., Montpelier, Vermont Gallery Hours: Fridays 4-7 pm Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 5pm or by appointment (802) 552-0877 info@thefrontvt.com Montpelier Art Walk Opening Reception: Friday, November 6, 4-8 PM
October 4 – 27, 2024 The Front Gallery 6 Barre St., Montpelier, Vermont Gallery Hours: Fridays 4-7 pm Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 5pm or by appointment (802) 552-0877 info@thefrontvt.com Montpelier Art Walk Opening Reception: Friday, October 4, 4-8 PM
The Front Gallery 6 Barre St., Montpelier, Vermont Gallery Hours: Fridays 4-7 pm Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 5pm or by appointment (802) 552-0877 info@thefrontvt.com Montpelier Art Walk Opening Reception: August 2, 4-8 PM
June 7 – 30, 2024 The Front Gallery 6 Barre St., Montpelier, Vermont Gallery Hours: Fridays 4-7 pm Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 5pm or by appointment (802) 552-0877 info@thefrontvt.com Montpelier Art Walk Opening Reception: Friday June 7, 4-8 PM
The Front Gallery 6 Barre St., Montpelier, Vermont Gallery Hours: Fridays 4-7 pm Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 5pm or by appointment (802) 552-0877 info@thefrontvt.com
Montpelier Art Walk Opening Reception: Friday April 5, 4-8 PM
February 2 – 25, 2024 The Front Gallery 6 Barre St., Montpelier, Vermont Gallery Hours: Fridays 4-7 pm Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 5pm or by appointment (802) 552-0877 info@thefrontvt.com Montpelier Art Walk Opening Reception: Friday, February 2, 4-8
The Front Gallery 6 Barre St., Montpelier, Vermont Gallery Hours: Fridays 4-7 pm Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 5pm or by appointment (802) 552-0877 info@thefrontvt.com
October 6 – 29, 2023 The Front Gallery 6 Barre St., Montpelier, Vermont Gallery Hours: Fridays 4-7 pm Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 5pm or by appointment (802) 552-0877 info@thefrontvt.com Montpelier Art Walk Opening Reception: Friday, October 6, 4 – 7. featuring work by 22 Front members
August 4 – August 27, 2023 The Front Gallery 6 Barre St., Montpelier, Vermont Gallery Hours: Fridays 4-7 pm Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 5pm or by appointment (802) 552-0877 info@thefrontvt.com
SOLO EXHIBITION: DIANE SOPHRIN: EXTRAPOLATIONS & COMMENTARY
JULY 7 – 30, 2023 THE FRONT GALLERY 6 Barre St., Montpelier, Vermont Gallery Hours: Fridays 4-7 pm Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 5pm or by appointment (802) 552-0877 info@thefrontvt.com
“EXTRAPOLATIONS & COMMENTARY” presents three years of interconnected work; the double-sided Split Commentary Revisited Series” (2021), the unmounted double-sided “World as Collage Project” (2022) and the newest “Winter Extrapolations” all follow common threads of concept and presentation,often using prior solutions to develop and build new visual constructs. Process as subject continues to be a driving force in my work, as does an abstracted figural reference, building on my past decades of observational figurative work.
June 2 – July 2, 2023 The Front Gallery 6 Barre St., Montpelier, Vermont Gallery Hours: Fridays 4-7 pm Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 5pm or by appointment (802) 552-0877 info@thefrontvt.com
Opening Saturday, April 29th Remarks by Révész Emese, Art Historian Sinkó István, painter, art critic and President of the of Society of Hungarian Painters
The Tendenciák Exhibition presents works by over 300 members of the Society of Hungarian Painters in Szeged’s gorgeous Art Nouveau REŐK Palace Art Center.
A few words about my piece in this exhibit: “Tendencies of the 8th Variation”. Created as a triptych, each of the three acrylic on prepared, folded paperpieces was sent separately in an individual, normal envelope by normal airmail from Vermont to Budapest. As I explained to Sinko István it was a bit of a conceptual/mail art game: depending on how many arrived, the artwork could either be a triptych, diptych, or a single piece. One single envelope arrived, so a long, narrow piece took its place in the exhibition, along with documentation of the endeavor. I’ve been playing with pieces, fragments, presentations and carrying of work for years. One of the more practical reasons behind this particular game was the craziness of couriers and customs over the past few years. So I played with them, and one of my new works managed to slip under the radar entirely. Very appropriate for this new world!
The Front Gallery 6 Barre St., Montpelier, Vermont Gallery Hours: Fridays 4-7 pm Saturdays and Sundays 11am – 5pm or by appointment (802) 552-0877 info@thefrontvt.com
Montpelier Art Walk Opening Reception: Friday, October 6th, 4 – 7. featuring work by 22 Front members
GROUP EXHIBITION: CHRISTMAS – GIFT EXHIBITION / KARÁCSONY – AJÁNDÉK KIÁLLÍTÁS SOCIETY OF HUNGARIAN PAINTERS / MFT: MEMBERS’ EXHIBITION
December 1st – 12th, 2022 Vízivárosi Gallery Kapás Street 55, Budapest 1027
Opening: December 1, Thursday. 6pm Remarks by László Hemrik, Art Critic
SOLO EXHIBITION: WORLD AS COLLAGE & FURTHER EXTRAPOLATIONS / A VILÁG MINT KOLLÁZS ÉS TOVÁBBI EXTRAPOLÁCIÓK
October 20th – December 15th, 2022 Ferencvárosi Historical Museum 18 Ráday Street 18 (entrance on 15 Erkel Street) Budapest 1092
Based on the World as Collage project completed in the spring of this year, a new series of mixed-media works was created in the very room in which the exhibition is currently displayed. During a three-week solo residency at the Ferencvárosi Historical Museum in Budapest’s ninth district, visitors stopped by to watch as the work unfolded in situ. This exhibition presents the 21 original double-sided collages, subsequent traced drawings and sixteen of the new eighteen double-sided works as well as visual documentation of the sequential process.
Opening: Monday, October 3rd, 2022. 7:00 PM Remarks by Ferenc Takács, literary historian Performance by guitarist Gábor Juhász Watch video of opening event here.
August 5th – August 28th, 2022. The Front Gallery 6 Barre St., Montpelier, Vermont
Now a member of this small, vibrant artist-run cooperative gallery, my work is in good company! This current group exhibition includes work by all 23 members.
TRUTHS FROM THE BUNKER Indefinitely postponed due to problems in The Bunker. That’s the way things go these days. Would have been an interesting venue, perhaps another time!
May 6th – June 10th, 2022 A Vértes Agorája Contemporary Gallery Cultural Center of Tatabánya Tatabánya, Szent Borbála Tér 1.
Opening: Friday, May 6th, 5:00pm. Remarks by Eszter Molnár, art historian
A new photomontage, “A Város (City at War – I)” finally made it to Budapest after an inexplicably tortuous adventure in the depths of the Budapest Customs facilities! It joins the works of 53 Hungarian artists in this juried members exhibition. Another art event experienced in abstentia. My work is happy to be among colleagues!
This community fundraiser aims to give succor to current and future asylum seekers in Central Vermont. Looking back at our own family histories, many of us came from the “Old” to the “New” world as penniless immigrants and refugees as well, who with the help of others went on to establish lives and raise future generations. Now it’s our turn.
Lend a hand to the newcomers in our midst and in return for your support, be my virtual studio guest during the entire month March! Receive daily emailed posts of new and developing visual pieces; poems, thoughts and musings; music and history. In short, I offer you a month of virtual “visits” to my studio via image, word and sound!
So far the WORLD AS COLLAGE PROJECT has eighteen sponsors. Great thanks to all the friends and donors for their support
Darryl Bloom Kate Burnim Deborah Davidson Wendy Derevensky Priscilla Fox Dovid Fried Lew Friedland Carol Friedman Laura Gurton Ellien P. Hayes Michelle Lesnak Kenneth MacInnes Shana Margolin Phyllis Rubenstein Sally Seymour Walter and Laura Sophrin Janet Van Fleet Lynn Wild
October 22nd – November 13th, 2021 Újpest Gallery Budapest. Árpád Boulevard 66.
Opening: Friday, October 22nd, 6:00pm. Remarks by Henrik László (Ludwig Museum)
My newest piece, Mirror Test/Tükör Teszt has made it to Budapest in three days, to take its place alongside works by 78 Hungarian artists in this latest juried exhibition of the Society’s members.
I have worked a great deal over this past year; that effort serving as both anchor and compass during these challenging times! Now it’s a pleasure to be able to share this recent work. Join me in my studio via Zoom to see and learn about this new body of work.
Online opening: April 23rd, 2021 Remarks by Ferenc Matits, art historian Musical performance by István Grencsó Stream live or watch afterwards on the FUGA You Tube channel HERE:
Yet another trans-Atlantic voyage for my works, yet another exhibition filled with new and exciting works by my Hungarian colleagues and friends but empty of the artists themselves. The same creative impulse that impels the Society, its president Albert Kováts and the members to continue working and exhibiting is what inspired me to make my latest Ajtó, ablak pieces and ship them halfway across the world to Budapest. FUGA is a great place and is doing a wonderful job documenting and presenting all their current events – lectures, concerts and art exhibitions.
A new regional gallery, SQD GALLERY (Stella Quarta Decima) has opened its virtual doors, with actual exhibitions in the works for this coming summer. Founder and curator Benjamin Ward has chosen six Vermont artists to represent. I am pleased to be among them and a part of this new initiative.
Visit the SQD website HERE to view the work and learn about the gallery and artists.
My latest collage pieces Spherical Fragments remarkably made it to Budapest in three days where they joined the works of 46 Hungarian colleagues in the public gallery of the City Art Center of Tatabánya, not far from Budapest. In the midst of the pandemic this group exhibition opened, with commentary offered by Balázs Feledy, art critic and writer.
What a world! I remain embedded for better and for worse here in Vermont. Nevertheless, my work, the first of the Spheres of Destiny series made expressly for this exhibit, was submitted digitally as usual, accepted by the jury, and shipped via FedEx to Budapest where it joins the works of 49 Hungarian colleagues in the public gallery of Érd, just outside Budapest.
RESCHEDULED FOR FALL, 2021! originally scheduled: April 28 – May 30, 2020 Open Workshop / Nyított Műhély Ráth György Street 4 Budapest 1123
On March 17, 2020, the Corona Virus descended upon the world. Borders closed and flights were cancelled. I never left Vermont. As of January 9, 2021, the situation continues to worsen and travel remains impossible. This exhibition has just been postponed again and is now tentatively re-scheduled for the Fall of 2021!
Diane Sophrin is honored to be accepted as a member of this creative arts organization for painters, architects, sculptors, musicians, singers and actors. Read more here and here about this historically significant Hungarian creative arts organization founded in Budapest in 1901.
Diane Sophrin is honored to be accepted as a member of this creative arts organization for painters, architects, sculptors, musicians, singers and actors. Read more here and here about this historically significant Hungarian creative arts organization founded in Budapest in 1901.
The practice of giving theme to juried and group exhbitions is not uncommon here in Hungary, offering creative challenge and stimulus to participating artists and a unifying narrative and conceptual thread for the viewing audience to follow.
The exhibit title Garden of Exile (Száműzött Parkja), refers to a romantic, allegorical landscape painting of the same name by the mid-19th century Hungarian painter Gusztáv Kelety, now in the permanent collection of the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest. While this painting references a particular moment in Hungarian history, the title offers a broad, contemporary theme to be explored by participating artists.
My newest Exile Series, completed in response to this exhibition theme, reflects a personal exploration of the concept of exile at this very moment in history when definitions of identity and assertions of exclusion rear themselves up in inflamed political contexts and when human beings are yet again being torn, thrust, and thrown asunder as they flee for their lives. Embedded in this theme is of course the resonance of previous world conflagrations and an even more ancient Exodus. The entire series, and related written text can be found here.
Diane Sophrin 
