The Bingham Gallery at the University of Missouri is hosting the Joanne Berneche Memorial Exhibit of over 80 artworks. All sales of Joanne’s work will be handled through the Columbia Art League, where Joanne regularly exhibited her work until her death.
Exhibit Dates: August 28 - September 21
Reception: September 7th, 4:30-6:30
Joanne Zucco Berneche was a force of nature. She usually blew into a room clad in a vintage dress, fabulous costume jewelry, and her strong opinions. She was a Maximalist to beat all Maximalists, in her work, home, and personality. Catherine Armbrust, Kelsey Hammond, and Hannah Reeves—curators of this exhibition—all developed individual relationships with her over the years through their roles as gallery directors in Columbia, MO. When news of Joanne’s death (Feb 2023) reached them, they immediately sprang into action to acquire her work from the estate in order to host an exhibition to lovingly honor her memory. They know she would have given them plenty of feedback on the exhibit–she had a very clear vision of her own mode of presentation and show(wo)manship. But they also know she was aware of their appreciation for her and her work and hope that she would be pleased with the results.
Joanne was born in 1938 and began creating at a young age. Her work was influenced by ancient sculptures, Renaissance masterpieces, and Modernist European artists. After marrying fellow artist Jerry Berneche in 1958, their work evolved side by side and created a beautiful visual conversation together. The pair were also intense collectors of everything imaginable–Mexican pottery, ornate crosses, glass objects d’art, books, DVDs, holiday decorations, costume jewelry, and more. Joanne loved a good estate sale! Though Joanne’s art materials tended to be limited in scope (acrylic, gouache, tempera, collage), her imaginative use of these media constructed fantastical spaces and eye-bending patterns. Her appropriated collaged images infused the work with comments on beauty, aging, temporality, and permanence.
This exhibition is divided into groupings to make aesthetic, material, and conceptual meaning with a sampling of her immense body of work. Featured first in the gallery are Joanne’s earliest works (beginning at age 14), along with a tribute book of portraits from Joanne’s home made by Kelsey Hammond. The title wall features a few of Joanne’s most recent works that were completed in the year before her death. As the viewer moves through the gallery, they are greeted by a multitude of collages, abstract landscape paintings, “quilt studies”, and more. There are threads of color and pattern similarities that repeat in Joanne’s work throughout the years; within the gallery, viewers can go on a scavenger hunt to find those simple shapes and icons that were important to Joanne’s creative processes.
