Artist William Chewning's Opening Night Cocktail Reception

On Friday, December 4, 2009, David Ober, Chairman of Sotheby's Southeast, Peter Brady, and William S. Chewning will host a cocktail party at the Miami Art Group Gallery in the Miami Design District during Art Basel Miami Beach 2009 with a showing of works by artist William Chewning. The 1,800 square foot showroom will feature various abstract pieces, each of which were created using familiar imagery, realism and environmental elements. Atlantico Rum, a unique, sophisticated and hand crafted quality rum, produced in the Dominican Republic, will provide the libations for the evening.

Chewning's exhibition, his first since 2005, will reveal a compelling and original vocabulary through the translation of Chewning's personal life experiences. Transcending time and place, Chewning's paintings seem both traditional while at the same time, entirely modern. Taking elements from nature: the ocean, birds, mountains and flowers, Chewning combines them with elements from the real world with universal symbols from sources as diverse as ancient Egypt, Buddhism and Chinese screen painting. Blue Mountains, cart wheeling birds, anthropometric trees and heartbroken flowers flourish in a truly imaginative world that provides an engaging alternative to our own. Throughout the past two decades, William Chewning has developed unique and intrinsic pieces with a focus on regulating the intensity of the experience.

To RSVP for the December 4th cocktail please call 305.534.0081ext.14 or send your RSVP to chewning@thepattongroupinc.com. Following the Opening Night Cocktail reception, William Chewning's works will be up from December 5th, 2009 until December 29th, 2009 and can be viewed by appointment by calling 202.374.2937.