Art Connects New York

"Breaking Surface" is dedicated in memory of the prolific William S. Dutterer, who passed away in 2007. Named for the artifacts of his working process, the Spattered Columns exhibition space was Dutterer's studio for 30 years.

Dutterer, considered by many to be "a painter's painter", received his BFA and MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art.  Friend and professor of art history at Sarah Lawrence College, David Castriota, said of Dutterer's work: "there is a remarkable unity to Bill's work, whatever the scale, style, or medium. Bill broke down the barriers that often restricted other artists. His work neutralized the putative distinctions between decoration and depiction, between drawing and painting, and even between line and form or mass". Jack Rasmussen, Director of the Katzen American University Museum, calls Dutterer's work "formal and funky at the same time".  Colleague Grace Hartigan called Dutterer her "ideal of the dedicated artist whose career suffered because he was too original".

An instructor at the Corcoran Gallery School of Art for twenty years, Dutterer's work can be seen in such public collections as the National Gallery of Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Ringling Museum of Art, and the American University Museum.