{not} Quiet on the Western Front

June 4, 2021 - January 8, 2022

at Belger Arts Center
2100 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64108

Belger Arts Center presents {not} Quiet on the Western Front, opening Friday, June 4, 6 pm – 9 pm at 2100 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO 64108. The exhibition will remain on view through January 8, 2022.  

{not} Quiet on the Western Front includes work by west coast artists from the Belger Collection who helped define the Funk Art movement.  Funk came onto the art scene like a car wreck with its anti-formalist aesthetic, tongue-in-cheek commentary, irreverent character, and humor.  Invoking a sense of cathartic release to the violent times of the 1960s, it was an alternative to mainstream art that made political commentary on war, gender, racial tension, and other social threats palatable.  While its point of origin can be traced to 1950s northern California, the attitudes and approaches of Funk artists spread to other parts of the country and lives on in work by contemporary artists today.

Artists in the exhibition include Robert Arneson, Clayton Bailey, Viola Frey, David Gilhooly, Robert Hudson, Ed Kienholz, Ed Massey, Ron Nagle, H.C. Westermann, and William T. Wiley.

This exhibition is dedicated to William T. Wiley, a founder of the Funk Art movement, and a core artist of the Belger Collection. After a long and successful career, which included teaching at the University of California - Davis, he died on April 25, 2021, at the age of 83. He will be missed.

Safety measures:

Belger Arts is committed to maintaining a safe place for our visitors, studio members, and staff.  Following the reinstatement of the mask mandate issued on July 28 by the City of Kansas City, MO, Belger Arts will require that visitors, employees, and studio members wear a mask.

Disposable masks and hand sanitizer will be available.  We’ll continue to check City of Kansas City, MO mandates and CDC guidelines, so please visit this page for updated safety measures.