An art show in New York City can open the door to worldwide attention. No one knows this better than award-winning artist Donald Hershman. His career took flight after his 2021 Salomon Gallery exhibit in Manhattan grew from a small show to an extended showcase sold out within days.
The few nights in the Big Apple highlighted original pieces that were part of a retrospective series inspired by the late Victor Arimondi.
Subsequently, the innovative Hershman has been on an upward trajectory and has become part of several collectors’ wish lists. Then in 2020, Hershman won the prestigious Jury Selection at the de Young Museum and top recognition in the 2022 MvVO ART/AD art show, which saw his work displayed in the famous Oculus in Manhattan.
ON THE ROAD
Now Hershman is taking his exquisite art to Provincetown’s Bear Week. The Sexuality And Shadows exhibit will premiere this summer at PTown’s only ArT LoVe GaLLerY.
New artwork on display from July 9th to July 17th will highlight a celebration of the male form and a play on the inanimate. Hershman, fresh off the heels of multiple American exhibits from a sold-out show in Manhattan to displays in Dallas and Palm Springs, will take on a unique look at the male images with other subjects such as a dog in the desert tulips or a desk with shadow.
“I am extremely privileged to introduce my newest works at the ArT LoVe GaLLerY during Bear Week in Provincetown. This show is a tribute to my fellow members of the LGBTQ community,” Hershman reflects. “In creating these exciting new paintings, I’ve integrated the stark shadows, rich color, and cropping practices traditionally used with my still life and portraits and applied them to the male figure to achieve a mysterious allure and sexuality.”
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Born in 1954 and raised in New York City, he received his BA in Pre-Med with Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo and trained in Podiatry at the College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco before establishing his private practice there in the early 1980s. As the painter was building his medical practice, he was also evolving a body of artwork, exploring various media in the form of drawings and paintings, and finding his voice as an artist.
Driven by a desire to improve the state of the world continually, Don Hershman lives out a fascinating dual life in grand succession that inspires his artwork. He holds unique combined positions as an illustrious artist and a renowned podiatric surgeon. Equal satisfaction is found when he paints and produces art, as well as when he performs surgery on patients.
In the upcoming exhibit, striking male figures and brightly saturated still images bring to life a poignant vision in colorful artwork. The undeniable presence is beautiful to witness up close and personal. Hershman creates a fantastic realm that is a must-see, from hauntingly alluring images of male torsos to the rich nuances of artistic shadows on a wall produced from objects like vases.
“By cropping techniques and juxtaposing these images, I wanted to reach a transcendence beyond the ‘traditional male nude,’ while still attaining the allure, beauty, and sexuality,” states the artist. “The black, utilized by shadows or backdrops, elicits a kind of power, elegance, and even mystery.”
Taking his work to the landmark ArT LoVe GaLLerY is a dream come true for the artist and a mission long in the making.
For more information about Don Hershman,
visit: donhershmanart.com