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Some conversations need to span time and geography to happen. Dialogs in Line brings together the work of Paul Briskey — painter, bibliophile, and beloved presence in the Waunakee arts community — and ellsworth snyder, the Madison painter, pianist, and scholar who devoted his life to making this region an outpost of the international avant-garde, and who died in 2005.

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At the heart of both practices is a shared obsession: the line. snyder said it plainly — "to draw a line is to have an idea." For Briskey, line is an act of confidence and identity, forged across a decade painting in Kuwait and deepened through every chapter since. The exhibition follows a chronological arc of Briskey's development, with snyder's work entering not as backdrop but as a correspondent across time.

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snyder's paintings are held in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Walker Art Center, the Menil Collection, and the Chazen Museum of Art. His close friend John Cage composed One5 for him personaally which will be performed on Make Music Day. Briskey is represented by Milward Farrell Fine Art in Madison, maintains an active local exhibition presence, and his work can be found in private collections throughout the region and beyond.

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Select works are available for purchase. Inquiries welcome.

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[Read the full press release →]

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