Steffen Thomas was among the most prolific American artists of the second half of the 20th century. During his career, he expressed his artistic vision in almost all art media including oil and watercolor paintings, pen and ink drawings, mosaics and sculptures, among others, often using several techniques in one piece of art.  Primarily an Expressionist grounded in his German tradition, Thomas was an experimenter and worked during his 60-year career in Cubism, Realism and various other styles.

Although the museum displays hundreds of these works, many are housed in private collections throughout the country. In an effort to present a selection of these outstanding works, some never before seen by the public, the Steffen Thomas Museum of Art is planning a series of five exhibits featuring works borrowed from private collections.

According to guest curators Drs. Hathia and Andrew Hayes, the series of five exhibits will be organized into themes that Thomas favored throughout his career. Because of the quantity of works Thomas produced and the wide variety of styles, topics and

media he used, many observers find the total body of his work difficult to understand. This series of exhibits is designed to make his work more meaningful by organizing all those variety of media into narrow subject

categories.

The first exhibit, Figures and Flowers, will open on Aug. 26, the date of the museum’s annual meeting. The second, Family, Friends, and Philosophy, is scheduled to debut Dec. 3 during the preview of STMA’s Christmas Bazaar.

Subsequent exhibits and their approximate opening dates are: Ladies: Busts and Portraits, February 2011; Clowns, Humor, and Commentary, May 2011; Landscapes and Scenes, August 2011. All will include both two-dimensional works as well as sculpture.

The Steffen Thomas Museum is located at 4200 Bethany Road, Buckhead, Ga. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $5 adults; seniors and students, $3; STMA members and children under 6, free of charge