The Long Island Museum Presents Bohemian Paradise: David Burliuk, Nicolai Cikovsky and the Hampton Bays Art Group February 2 through July 13, 2008

David Burliuk immigrated to the United States from Russia with his wife and two sons in 1922. His four-year journey took him across Siberia and through Japan before he and his family settled in Manhattan where Burliuk met several other Russian émigré artists. Their similar backgrounds and their language brought them together but they soon realized they shared much more than their common Russian heritage. From February 9 through July 13, 2008, the Long Island Museum will present Bohemian Paradise: David Burliuk, Nicolai Cikovsky and the Hamptons Bays Art Group. Before the start of WW II, Burliuk went in search of a quiet, yet easily accessible respite from New York City. He purchased a summer home in Hampton Bays in 1941 and encouraged fellow artist Nicolai Cikovsky to join him. Raphael and Moses Soyer followed shortly afterward and purchased their own summer cottages. Soon, the group had established a unique summer art colony. With David Burliuk at its center, this exhibition explores how these men met and how they shared similar beliefs that art must serve a socially responsible function. Their works span various periods including both World Wars, the Depression, the McCarthy Era and the Cold War. Though they shared similar ideologies, each artist had his own unique style. A highlight of Bohemian Paradise will be David Burliuk’s 7’ X 12’ painting Petromania.  His largest and most ambitious work, Petromania was originally titled The Road of in 1934.  It is largely an homage to the art and architecture that came before him and the new culture of his adopted homeland. He uses the Roman Coliseum as the representative of history and exemplifies the Brooklyn Bridge as a link to the future. He balances the built environment in the background with a foreground filled with stone-like figures engaged in various activities. Too large and complex for most popular tastes, the painting was not sold during the 1930s. This exhibition represents the first time Petromania is being shown in nearly 70 years.

The Long Island Museum is located at 1200 Route 25A in Stony Brook. Hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $7 per person, $6 for seniors and $3 for students ages six through 17. Museum members and children under six are admitted for free. For additional information call 631-751-0066 Become a museum member and receive the quarterly newsletter, News & Events , which includes details about upcoming exhibitions and programs