North Adams, MA — The Artist Book Foundation is proud to announce Main Street Mystique, an exhibition of Photorealist paintings by Rod Penner at our location on the MASS MoCA campus. Timed to coincide with the release of our newest publication, Rod Penner, Paintings 1987-2022, this exhibition highlights selected paintings from the artist’s career.

Focused on the abandoned and forgotten landscapes of rural southwestern towns, Penner’s keen eye combines photojournalism and Photorealism to recreate images of small- town America. His deft use of contrast in his subjects—despondency and hope, isolation and nostalgia—evoke memories of The Last Picture Show in his paintings. With no detail overlooked, Penner’s paintings astound viewers with their precision and photograph-like appearance.

Rod Penner: Main Street Mystique is on view from January 17th through March 11th, 2023 at The Artist Book Foundation, 1327 Mass Moca Way, Building 13, North Adams, MA. An in-house artist’s talk will be held on March 11th; this event will be live-streamed for those unable to attend. For more information about the exhibition, our recent publication or our events, please email Amanda Romanelli.