Matre Gallery has represented Steve Penley since 1995, and is the home gallery and main exhibition venue for the Atlanta artist. Offering an extensive and fresh inventory of new and available works, Matre Gallery is the primary source for Steve Penley art, books, prints and information.

The past year has been monumental for Steve Penley. His solo exhibition at The New World Of Coke Museum (read below) followed the Andy Warhol exhibition.  The exhibition opened in May 2008 and continues through May 2009.

The Reconstruction Of America was published by Mercer University Press and released in November 2008. and features Penley's 85 color images that celebrate America, along with a foreward by Fox News anchor Neal Cavuto.

Steve Penley also collaborated with Vince Dooley, the legendary former football coach of The University of Georgia on Dooley's Playbook, a book that chronicles the history of Georgia football. [ View works from the UGA series ]

Steve Penley's The Reconstruction Of America exhibition recently opened at The Marietta / Cobb Museum of Art and continues through June 13, 2009.


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STEVE PENLEY’S WORK TAKES CENTER STAGE AT NEW WORLD OF COCA-COLA

ATLANTA, May 22, 2008 – The Coca-Cola Company will celebrate the artistic contributions of famed Georgia artist, Steve Penley, by presenting an exhibition of his work at the New World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta this year. On loan from public and private collectors, the exhibit will feature Penley’s most significant Coca-Cola inspired pieces, including several new paintings created for the attraction. The exhibit opens to the public today.
Best known for his iconic portraits, Penley is one of America’s most popular southern artists. His signature painting style incorporates bold color, strong brush strokes and vivid imagery. His work has been commissioned by prominent corporate and private collectors around the nation, including The Coca-Cola Company. Penley was selected as the official artist of the G-8 Summit on Georgia’s Sea Island in 2004. He also received an official commendation from the Georgia State Senate in 2005.

The Penley collection follows the year-long exhibition of Andy Warhol paintings on loan from the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and will be the first time a collection of Penley’s Coca-Cola themed work of this scale will be presented to the public.
“Like Warhol, Penley finds inspiration in everyday iconic images that are familiar and accessible to everyone,” said Ted Ryan, The Coca-Cola Company, Archives Collection Manager. “His work reflects a sense of optimism and positivity that makes Coca-Cola an ideal muse for his art.”
“Coke Bottle,” one of the most significant paintings in the collection, is Penley’s first piece featuring Coca-Cola iconography. The 4-by-6 ft Coca-Cola contour bottle painting was created by Penley in 1996 and has been loaned to The Coca-Cola Company by King and Spalding for exhibition as part of the new collection. Other featured pieces include: Final Four (2006); International Bottle (2006); Diet Coke Bottle (2006); Couple at Fountain (2007); Fountain Service (2007); Hot Dog and Bottle (2007); Kit Carson (2007); Coke Zero (2008); Three Bottles (2008); Fountain Glass (2008).
On display through May 2009, the Penley collection will feature more than 15 pieces, including video footage of the artist at work in his studio, more than 12 paintings and a charcoal Coca-Cola icon bottle line drawing sketched by his 6-year old son. The collection will be accompanied by tags handwritten by Penley featuring the back-story behind each piece. Guests of the attraction will also have the opportunity to explore the personal effects from Penley’s studio.

Located at Pemberton Place next door to the Georgia Aquarium in the heart of downtown Atlanta, the New World of Coca-Cola has been redesigned from the ground up. It features a tasting lounge, three theaters (including one in 4D), a fully-functioning bottling line and nearly 1,000 artifacts and collectibles that have never been displayed to the public. The updated attraction opened on May 24, 2007. Tickets are available online at www.worldofcoca-cola.com.

Read more from The AJC here and view a photo from Today In Pictures here.

Read The Athens Banner-Herald article here.

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STEVE PENLEY RESUME

Biography
1964 Born in Chattanooga, TN
1983-85/86-88 University of Georgia, Athens, GA
1985/86 School of Visual Arts, New York, NY

Exhibitions
2009 The Reconstruction Of America, The Marietta / Cobb Museum Of Art, Atlanta, GA
2008 Studies For The Reconstruction, Linstrum + Matre Artworks, Atlanta, GA
2008 The World of Coke, Pop Culture Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
2008 Matre Gallery, The Red Show, Group Show, Atlanta, Georgia
2007 Fine Art & Artists, Reinventing the American Icon, Washington, D.C.
2007 Matre Gallery, 12th Anniversary Group Show, Atlanta, Georgia
2007 Matre Gallery, Fresh Air, Group Show, Atlanta, Georgia
2006 Albany Museum of Art, Faces, Steve Penley and Comer Jennings, Albany, Georgia
2005 Matre Gallery, Recent Work/Book Release Party, Atlanta, Georgia
2005 New York Mercantile Exchange, Recent Works, New York, New York
2004 Anthem Gallery, “Landscapes”, New York, New York
2004 Matre Gallery, “Recent Works”, Atlanta, Georgia
2004 Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, Georgia
2003 Anthem Gallery, “The City”, New York, New York
2003 Matre Gallery, “Works on Paper”, Atlanta, Georgia
2003 Fine Art & Artists, “Warhol & His Influence”, Washington, DC, Group Show
2003 Anthem Gallery, “Southern Fried”, New York, New York, Group Show
2003 Matre Gallery, “Frontiers”, Atlanta, Georgia
2002 Matre Gallery, “New York City”, Atlanta, Georgia
2002 Fine Art & Artist, “Hot New Painters”, Washington, DC, Group Show
2002 Meridian International Center, “True Colors: Meditation on the American Spirit, Washington, DC
2002 Matre Gallery, “Giants”, Atlanta, GA
2001 Matre Gallery, “Americans”, Atlanta, GA
2001 Matre Gallery, “The Photography Show”, Atlanta, GA, Group Show
2001 Matre Gallery, “May Flowers”, Atlanta, GA, Group Show
2000 Matre Gallery, “New Paintings”, Atlanta, GA
2000 Matre Gallery, “Postures Concerning the Nude”, Atlanta, GA, Group Show
1999 Matre Gallery, “Recent Paintings”, Atlanta, GA
1999 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Juried Exhibition, St. Phillips Cathedral, Atlanta, GA
1999 Georgia Music Hall of Fame Museum, Macon, Georgia
1998 Matre Gallery, “Flower Paintings”, Atlanta, GA, Group Show
1998 Spotlight on Southern Artists, Juried Exhibition, Trinity School Benefit, Atlanta, GA
1998 Art Care, Juried Exhibition, Aid Atlanta Benefit, Atlanta, GA
1997 Matre Gallery, “Postures”, Atlanta, GA, Group Show
1997 Smith Gallery, “New Work”, Atlanta, GA
1996 Smith Gallery, “Images of Influence”, Atlanta, GA
1996 Southern Arts Federation, “Benny Andrews, Howard Finster & Steve Penley”, Governor’s Mansion, Atlanta, GA
1995 Smith Gallery, “Recent Work”, Atlanta, GA

Literature
2008 Emily L. Foley, “Penley’s Way”, Tuxedo Road, Winter 2008
2007 Emily L. Foley, “The Power of Penley”, Jezebel Magazine, December 2007
2006 Jamie Caraway, “Changing Faces of Steve Penley”, Address Macon, April 2006
2006 Stephanie Davis, “Steve Penley, Lives a Color-Full Life”, Skirt Magazine, May 2006
2005 Elizabeth Baggatt, “The Art of Carrollton’s Steve Penley”, Lifestyles Magazine, July
2005 Joe Kovac, Jr., “Former Maconite makes a splash with portraits of the famous”, The Macon Telegraph, July 2005
2004 Andrew Wardlow, “Tom Nielsen & Steve Penley”, Times-Georgian, May 2004
2004 Katie Hofstadter, “Politics & Art”, Artlanta Magazine, May/June 2004
2004 Liz Hampton, “Artist Adds Golden Isles Touch to G8 Summit”, Times-Union, June 2004
2004 Mildred Huie Wilcox, “Life, Liberty & Art”, Coastal Antiques & Art, July 2004
2004 Seth Hopkins, “Atlanta Artist Steve Penley Inspired by History”, Booth Western Art Publications, February 2004
2003 Penley, Longstreet Press, December 2001
1999 Brett Lockwood, “Painting Penley”, Bluemilk Magazine, 1999
1997 Susanne Fletcher, “Portrait of a Not-so Starving Artist”, Art & Collecting, 1997

Awards/Honors
2007 Capital Arts Standards Committee, Appointed by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue
2006 The Patrick Henry Award, National Guard Association of the United States
2005 Georgia Council for the Arts, Appointed by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue
2004 The Flourish Award, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia
2002 Geogia Author of the Year – Specialty Category, PENLEY
2005 Official Painting and Commemorative Print, The 2004 G8 Summit, Selected by G8 Host Committee, Atlanta, Georgia
2002 Georgia Author of the Year: Specialty Category, The Georgia Author’s Association

Corporate Collections
Federal Reserve Board, Washington, D.C.
Coca-Cola Company, New York, NY, Atlanta, Georgia
The World of Coca-Cola, Atlanta, Georgia
King & Spalding, Atlanta, New York, London, Washington D.C.
Morgan Keegan
Georgia State Capitol, Atlanta, Georgia
Media Research Council, Washington, D.C.
The Booth Museum, Cartersville, Georgia
Houston’s Corporation
ESPN Zone, Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Macon, Georgia
The 2004 G8 Summit Host Committee, Sea Island, Georgia
The Georgia Museum, Athens, Georgia
Kilpatrick Stockton, Atlanta, Georgia
Capricorn Records, Macon, Georgia
Mercer University, Macon, Georgia
Twelve Hotel, Atlantic Station and Centennial Park, Atlanta, Georgia
Barry Real Estate Corporation, Atlanta, Georgia
Sea Island Company, Sea Island, Georgia