DECEMBER 5, 2014 – JANUARY 11, 2015
Emile Klein, a classically trained portrait painter from the San Francisco Bay area, recently biked across the country to record America from his perspective. Throughout his journey, Emile stopped at the homes of various short-term sponsor families. In exchange for hosting the artist, he would paint the host’s portrait.
The artist’s process of exchanging his art for room and board parallels the early American art scene of ‘limners’ who made their living traveling from town to town. While Emile painted, he also recorded the conversations he had with his subjects creating a powerful and intimate record of his hosts. These recordings and portraits made up the narratives fueling Emile’s not-for-profit organization, You’re U.S., to create a representation of modern Americans by highlighting people’s singular characteristics while searching for the qualities that tie together a nation. Many of the portraits and biographies compiled for You’re U.S. will be on view from December 5, 2014 through January 11, 2015.