It started when he was 6 years old. After receiving a set of red, blue and yellow paints as a gift from his mother, artist Murry Handler was hooked on art. He claims he hasn’t put down the paintbrush since then.
Now, he is an internationally exhibited artist who has shown at places such as the Agora Gallery in New York City, the Marziart International Galerie in Hamburg, Germany, the North Carolina Museum of Art and, now, the Horace Williams House in Chapel Hill.
Handler is doing a solo show at the Horace Williams House, run by Preservation Chapel Hill. The show features black and white art with strong, bold strokes that evoke powerful emotions.
“Black and white eliminates one thing — I don’t have to think about color,” Handler said. “If I want to get a message across, and get the message across quickly, I do it in black and white and I don’t have to feel whether this color will go well here or there.”
Nerys Levy, co-chairwoman of the arts committee for Preservation Chapel Hill, said that Handler’s work was chosen because of his proven excellence and because his work stood out.
“His work is well known, and it’s significantly different because he is a minimalist artist, and he uses economy of color, line and form, and also a limited palate,” Levy said.
The arts committee, which is comprised of professional artists and is run on a voluntary basis, looks for work that is authentic and significant in its particular field. They feature during nine exhibits of different mediums that run throughout the year.
Jenny Blazing, arts committee member and liaison between the Horace Williams House, seconded the praise toward Handler.
“I think his work is very bold, yet tasteful, and I think that it has something to offer people of all different artistic tastes,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for people to discover Murry, as well as for his dedicated patrons to see a new twist on his work.”
