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Jacobsen Art Premiers at Salon Artist’s Gallery


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Patricia Moore describes the works of Dennis and Laura Jacobsen. (PHOTO: ENEWSPF)

Note: This show has been extended to September 1.

Park Forest, IL–(ENEWSPF)– When Dennis Jacobsen died five years ago, he left behind thousands of paintings and sketches that had never been shown or sold. His wife, Laura, passed in April, leaving the family with the incredible collection of art, literally stacked floor-to-ceiling in the Co-op the couple shared on Dogwood Street in Park Forest.

Describing the work as abstract expressionism, artist Patricia Moore said selections of the work will be shown at Salon Artist’s Gallery through the end of August.

Moore recalled seeing Dennis Jacobsen at the Park Forest Art Fair. They would discuss mixing colors and other aspects of art, but she never knew he had accomplished so much.

“When he’d come and talk to me about art, I knew he was painting,” Moore said. She asked Dennis to bring work by and get involved with the other artists. “He would never show up, never bring his work around.”

“There are thousands of canvases, stacked to the ceiling in their Dogwood Co-op,” Patricia said. Jacobsen also left behind at least 800 sketch books. According to Moore, the art is “upstairs, it’s in the basement. It’s all over.”

“According to the family, he had no desire to get the work out for people to see.”

“He never showed his work, never sold his work. The majority of it isn’t signed. It was stacked up to the ceiling.”

The gallery is not charging the family rent for the show.

“We had over 200 people the night of the opening,” Moore said.

“The art is extremely expressive,” Moore said. “The fact that it had never been seen by anybody makes it unique. The circumstances surrounding the art is unique.”

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Artist Dennis Jacobsen. (PHOTO SUPPLIED)

“According to the family, Laura had agoraphobia. She didn’t go out in public. And then after her husband died, she started to. She had no choice. She had to go buy groceries, etc. At that time, she also published a book. She became very independent, functioned extremely well.”

Dennis Jacobsen and Laura his wife both painted and drew, wrote poetry and short stories, Moore said. Laura published The Woman on the Doorway in 2008. A collection of Laura’s inked cartoons are also on display at the gallery.

Dennis died at 58, only eight years after he retired from teaching elementary school.

Salon Artist’s Gallery is a co-operative of 12 artists, located at 294 Main Street in Park Forest. The gallery is open 10:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and from 10:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.

Purchases of the Jacobsen’s artwork may be made through the family.


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