The Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC of Staten Island will host a free opening reception Thursday for its newest gallery exhibit featuring works by three artists with diverse backgrounds and styles.
The Murray Berman Art @ the J Gallery will showcase pieces by Antonio De Santis, Tom Lynch and Edward Finkelstein during a reception from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 20. The exhibit will remain on display through December at the JCC, located at 1466 Manor Rd. The reception is open to the public.
De Santis is a contemporary artist whose abstract works draw from his subjective perceptions while maintaining connections to reality. His paintings feature humble faces, structural forms and mythological ritual images that reflect the rich culture of Italian Baroque. The artist has been influenced by surrealist Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso’s cubist period from 1932-1934, and abstract expressionist Willem De Kooning. Raised and educated in Italy, De Santis earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Rome. He has lived in New York City since 1971 and has exhibited his work in art shows in Italy and New York, winning several awards.
Finkelstein, a long-time Staten Islander, developed an interest in photography as a teenager after receiving a book of Berenice Abbott’s photos of New York in the 1930s. He has been working on his own photography for the past 10 years, and this marks his first exhibition. His selected works include photos with an umbrella theme along with images from various locations in different styles. When not photographing, Finkelstein works as an attorney with his own commercial litigation and real estate litigation practice.
Lynch is a New York-based artist who works out of his studio at Snug Harbor Cultural Center. His work spans fine art, design, illustration, photography and typography. He has spent his career running his own studio, HAVOC Media Design, taking on creative projects ranging from design to drawing to painting.