SACRAMENTO, CA.- Heroic in scale with numerous multi-dimensional components, the sculptural installations of Robert Cremean are meant to be experienced, not just viewed. Opening May 25 at the Crocker Art Museum, Skinned: The Art of Robert Cremean consists of a career-spanning survey of the artist’s key works, drawn from a recent gift to the Museum’s permanent collection.

If Cremean’s work has one single, overarching motivation, that would be, according to the artist himself, to give saliency to the human form. In so doing, he delves deep beneath the surface. “Sculpture requires peeling, a stripping away of old coats and skin,” Cremean explains. Long considered one of California’s most significant sculptors, he has exhibited widely throughout his career, most notably in 1968 at the Venice Biennale, where he represented the United States. He adopted the human figure as his main subject in the early 1950s. Combined with abstract signs and symbols, the figure is employed to address such universal themes as religion, sexuality, war, genocide and bigotry. Yet, even though he takes on strong themes, Cremean’s work has always been dream-like and draws from the Surrealist painters of the earlier part of the century. His multi-media works are a coded compilation of images and symbols at once rational but also drawn from the unconscious mind.

The Crocker Art Museum was founded in 1885 and continues as the leading art institution for the California Capital Region and Central Valley. The Museum offers a diverse spectrum of special exhibitions, events and programs to augment its collections of California, European and Asian artworks. The Crocker is located at 216 O Street in downtown Sacramento. Museum hours are 10 AM–5 PM, Tuesday–Sunday; Thursday until 9 PM. Free admission on Sundays from 10 AM–1 PM is made possible through the support of Wells Fargo. For more information on exhibits and events call (916) 264-5423 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.