Bert Menco

A neurobiologist by day, Bert Menco came from the Netherlands in 1982 on an impromptu whim and decided to stay. He now lives in Chicago, dividing his time between science and art. As a scientist Bert’s work concerns the cell biology of chemical senses, smell and taste, with the main objective being to understand the subcellular aspect of the sites where olfactory and gustatory (taste) chemosensory signal transduction takes place. Luckily his artwork is not as difficult to comprehend!

History has had an unavoidable personal impact on Bert, whose artwork often addresses the Dutch-Jewish experience during WWII. His parents met in a refugee camp in Switzerland. His grandfather, who owned a musical store selling instruments, died in the Sobibor concentration camp in Poland.

While a sense of longing, sadness, and loss pervades Bert’s Harlequinesque figures, the overall tone of his pieces is never morose. In many cases, the work is charming, with a sense of bemusement balancing the melancholy.

Bert Menco’s "Poetically narrative prints" will be exhibited alongside paintings by Ray Wirtz at the Red & Gold Gallery from September 6 through October 2.

"The Magician and the Tamer" Etching/Aquatint 1998 24" x 18" $700