Art Life, the fifth annual figurative art exhibition, celebrates the intersection of artistic practice and lived experience. It brings together some of the Bay Area’s most accomplished artists exploring the human experience through contemporary figurative art, highlighting the personal, social, and emotional narratives that define our times.

Each invited artist presents a curated selection of five recent works, creating a distinctive “show within a show” throughout the Center’s gallery. Featuring sculpture, painting, and mixed media works, Art Life explores the enduring relevance of the human figure through a diverse range of styles, techniques, and contemporary perspectives. Works in the exhibition will express elements of human nature, tell individual stories, and invite visitors to consider how art helps us navigate, interpret, and respond to the world around us.

Rooted in the legacy of the Bay Area Figurative Movement, the exhibition reflects how artists engage with the human form today. Many of the featured artists paint, draw, or sculpt from life, portraying friends, family members, professional models, and even imagined or reinterpreted strangers. Together, their work offers a deeply personal and collective examination of what it means to be human.

"As curator, I am seeking work that illuminates what artists are currently experiencing and what they believe matters most," said Susan R. Kirshenbaum, artist and curator of the exhibition. "In a time of rapid change and increasing uncertainty, art remains a powerful means of expressing our hopes, dreams, concerns, and resilience. Art Life offers a timely and compelling glimpse into the ideas shaping contemporary figurative art today." 

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Young Beethoven: The Spirited, Impassioned Virtuoso 
Celebrating Beethoven 2027 anniversary 

When Beethoven arrived in Vienna, he took the city by storm with his fiery virtuosity and expressive depth. In this all-Beethoven program marking 200 years since the composer’s death, fortepianist Daniel Adam Maltz brings the young composer-pianist back to life on the instrument Beethoven actually knew, played, and composed for — the Viennese fortepiano. From his sparkling wit to brooding intensity, you will hear a rare glimpse into Beethoven’s sound world to experience his brilliance anew. Daniel Adam Maltz is a Vienna-based fortepianist specializing in Viennese Classicism — especially the works of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. He is “considered the foremost performer in the world of the fortepiano” (Aspen Daily News) and is praised for “putting [Beethoven’s] tenderness, longing and frustration into the very notes” (Orlando Sentinel). Daniel tours in more than 50 cities per year as a recitalist, concerto soloist, director, Lied accompanist, and clinician. His current 90+ city tour commemorates the Beethoven 2027 anniversary.

Daniel Adam Maltz is a Vienna-based fortepianist specializing in Viennese Classicism — especially the works of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. He is “considered the foremost performer in the world of the fortepiano” (Aspen Daily News) and is praised for “putting [Beethoven’s] tenderness, longing and frustration into the very notes” (Orlando Sentinel). Daniel tours in more than 50 cities per year as a recitalist, concerto soloist, director, Lied accompanist, and clinician. His current 90+ city tour commemorates the Beethoven 2027 anniversary.

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