Three classical elements are seen as fundamental building blocks of the world, with Earth symbolizing stability and grounding, fire symbolizing transformation and passion, and air representing intellect and change. This exhibition connects these three dynamic forces through their chance encounter that evolved into a deep and enduring friendship.*

Dorothy Fratt, from Washington, D.C., Geny Dignac, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and José Bermúdez, born in Havana, Cuba, all resided in Washington D.C., before relocating to Phoenix, where they met. Lured by the desert horizons and the free-spirited lifestyle of the west, they united through movements in Abstract Expressionism as they individually built alliances with prominent artists, museums and galleries, regularly exhibiting locally, nationally and internationally. The three artists (often including AZ-based painter Phillip Curtis) spoke to each other almost daily, challenging and supporting each other through demanding, storied art careers and real life. The exhibition, Earth, Fire, Air, spans generations, celebrates unlikely bonds and highlights the impactful legacy of these groundbreaking artists.

Derived from Abstract Expressionism, Dorothy Fratt took a non-objective and minimalistic approach to painting. She edits her movements down to the essentials. Theoretical, nuanced color relationships resonate with auras of light. She defies gravity and pushes compositional boundaries with shape and line that veer on and off the edge, in and out of focus, catalyzing dramatic effect with subtlety and grace. Her work is included in collections of the Phoenix Art Museum, the Tucson Museum of Art, and the Museum of Northern Arizona. In 2000, she received the Arizona Governor’s Artist of the Year Award for her nationally recognized accomplishments.

While living in Washington, D.C., Geny Dignac was drawn to work with light and fire. Her conceptual, performative, gestural and provocative works traverse scale from monumental land interventions to her photographic artworks capturing her momentary and revolutionary actions. Recently, Dignac showed at the Bis-Altes Museum in Monchengladbach, Germany. She has appeared multiple times at Art Santa Fe and at the Pinta Art Fair in 2008. Her work is included in the collections of numerous museums, including the Phoenix Art Museum, and in private collections.

José Bermúdez’s roots in graphic design inform his mixed media work, which includes photography and sculpture. He was adept at translating his formal investigations across disciplines. His drawings and works on paper epitomize his enthusiasm and curiosity, with his intuitive mark making yielding to logic and order.
Bermúdez has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in Havana, as well as throughout the US, Latin America, and the Caribbean, including Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil and Jamaica. His work is in several major collections, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian.

*Thank you to Dorothy’s son, Gregory Fratt, for making this connection and to Melanie Bermúdez for her continued commitment to furthering the work of her parents, Geny Dignac and José Bermúdez.