Floyd D. Tunson in the News

Floyd D. Tunson, Where the Hell is Batman? 2009, acrylic on canvas.

Our friends at the KRCC, Colorado Springs Independent and Denver's Westword have featured various aspects of upcoming exhibition artist, Floyd D. Tunson. Son of Pop: Floyd D. Tunson will be the artist's most complete retrospective to date, and will occupy the entire second floor plus the first-floor corridor. It'll showcase Tunson's amazing versatility and his dynamic aesthetic evolution.

KRCC — "Studio Visit: In the Hotbed of Nothingness with Floyd Tunson"
(Sept 2012)

Of all the hidden treasures we try to bring you on The Big Something, few rate as highly as the reclusive local artist Floyd Tunson. A long-time art teacher at Palmer High School, Tunson has been “retired” for over a decade during which time he has devoted himself full-time to his first love. Now the subject of a 40-year career retrospective set to open at The Fine Arts Center on October 27, 2012, we stopped by Tunson’s studio recently to bring you this profile and peek inside his spectacular studio.

Colorado Springs Independent — "Raising the Standard: Floyd Tunson exhibit bold and imaginative"
(Jan 2005)

But not Floyd Tunson. An African-American, born in 1947, working and teaching in Colorado Springs for many years, Tunson has created what may be the finest and most deeply serious works of art ever conceived in the Pikes Peak region. These are three very large-scale installations, all of which are currently on display in Tunson's one-man show, American Standard, at the Fine Arts Center.

Westword — "Top Marks: Abstraction lights up Sandy Carson, while postmodern is displayed at a darkened Pirate"
(Feb 2005)

Sometimes Tunson is very didactic and succinct in conveying messages in his work, as in his famous series on black gang kids that's part of the show in Colorado Springs. In those paintings, which incorporate photocopy transfer, Tunson visually compares the youngsters to canaries in coal mines. To him, they are an early-warning system for society, the way the hapless canaries were for miners, warning them of impending asphyxiation by simply dropping dead. At other times, Tunson's meanings are ambiguous, as in the abstracts that make up Rudiments. 

MEMBERS PREVIEW 

Fri., Oct 26 | 5-7p

This FAC Members-only event will include a special presentation by artist Floyd D. Tunson and Museum Director Blake Milteer. Not a member? Become a FAC Member and get free admission to the museum, invitations to exclusive events, discounts and more.

Floyd D. Tunson: Son of Pop
Oct. 27 - Jan. 20