The Galileo Project
Doug Bosch and Richard Whitten, colleagues and longtime admirers of one another’s work, are making two distinct, yet integrated groups of work that refer back to objects in the permanent collection of Museo Galileo, Florence, Italy. This museum has been dedicated to the History of Science for the last four hundred years. Both artists have a long history of independently using early science to inform the aesthetic and underpinnings of their artworks. Here, with the Galileo Project, they join forces to produce a coordinated body of work that examines how a painter and a sculptor meet the artistry of science head-on, treating audiences to a rare delight.
To begin, the artists selected six scientific instruments from the collection of Museo Galileo for their shape, materials, proportions and function. For the artists these particular six objects captivate and have much to lend for their aesthetic appeal. Both artists will make six works that directly relate to these objects, referred to as Series I. They also will make a set of six works which take several design/conceptual liberties for the purpose of proposing believable hybrids, or cousins, of the original six objects. This group of works will be referred to as Series II. A total of 24 finished, major pieces will be generated (12 sculptures for Bosch & 12 paintings for Whitten). Subsidiary works, such as drawings and study models, will also be made and likely be exhibited along with the principle works. Large images of the original six museum objects will be displayed alongside the artists’ creations so that viewers can track and appreciate the trajectory of the artistic invention.
Working side by side, building their works simultaneously while together at the Golden Apple Artist Residency (2021 & 2023), or consulting weekly in their offices at Rhode Island College, the two are constantly studying one another’s progress. With an eye toward learning from one another and ensuring that the paintings and sculptures will be aligned, they are focused on making a thrilling experience for the public. Whitten and Bosch display equal, meticulous attention to micro details in their respective mediums and are excited to compose for the public a group of artworks which pay tribute to the meticulous scientific mind and the discerning artistic eye.
The Galileo Project has received support from the Make Art Grant, Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, and will debut at Bannister Gallery, Rhode Island College, in Fall of 2025.
More details to come later in 2024.
These six scientific objects reside in the permanent collection of the Museo Galileo, Florence, Italy. Some of these objects were acquired by the Medici family for the museum’s collection 400 years ago. Examining these objects launched the Galileo Project. After careful and playful study, these six objects would serve as genesis for the fanciful concept sketches below.
