Francis De Erdely: The Artist Who Painted the Struggles We Face


LAGUNA BEACH, California — Alissa Anderson Campbell, the guest
curator of Striking Figures: Francis De Erdely at the Laguna Art Museum, first discovered the once-renowned artist in 2006 while doing research for Sullivan Goss Gallery in Santa Barbara, California. Intrigued by the power of his extant works, Campbell made De Erdely the subject of her PhD dissertation and has continued her research ever since. She has spent the last 16 years locating and assembling the compelling group of paintings and works on paper now on view in the show. As Striking Figures demonstrates, De Erdely’s subjects — the human condition and the struggles faced by immigrants and other systemically and socially marginalized people — have retained their magnetism. “The work is still resonant,” Campbell offers, “and his topics are still with us.”