Pia Fries (b. 1955, Switzerland; based in Dusseldorf, Germany) is internationally acclaimed as an undaunted and intrepid painter, whose exuberant paintings integrate silkscreened facsimiles of 17th-century Baroque and Mannerist prints and the gestural rigor and emotional depth of Abstract Expressionism with a contemporary sensibility. Fueled with formidable skill and an adventurous spirit, Fries' paintings, characterized by audacious color and thick, pulsating pigment applied with brushes, spatulas, and palette knives, represent a hybrid fusion of painting and printmaking, figuration and abstraction, and tradition and innovation — through the lens of the 21st century.

Opening Reception: Friday, Aug. 31, 5-8 p.m.

This exhibition presents a selection of paintings and prints, including work from Gund Gallery board members, Ron Pizzuti P'98 (Pizzuti Collection) and the Francie Bishop Good and David Horvitz '74, H'98 Collection, as well as works from CRG Gallery (NYC) and Crown Point Press (San Francisco). Original exhibition organized by Margo Crutchfield, curator at large, Moss Arts Center, Virginia Tech. Expanded Gund Gallery exhibition curated by Natalie Marsh, director and curator.

The Gund Gallery exhibitions and programs are made possible, in part, by the Gund Gallery Board of Directors and the Ohio Arts Council.

Image: Pia Fries (German, b. Switzerland 1955) "Fahnenbild b," 2012. Oil on panel, 48 7/8 x 66 7/8 inches. Collection of Francie Bishop Good and David Horvitz.