The exhibition, "Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso: Symbolism & Romance," opens with a reception 6 - 8 p.m. July 9, The David E. Rodale and Rodale Family Galleries, The Baum School of Art, Fifth and Linden streets, Allentown.

Dr. Christine I. Oaklander, former Director of Collections and Exhibitions, Allentown Art Museum and Arts Coordinator, Lehigh Valley Health Network, is guest curator of the exhibition, which continues through Aug. 8. The exhibition sponsors are Carol and Jack Bury.

The reception includes wine and light fare. Baum School exhibitions and receptions are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday, closed Saturday, Sunday.

Nineteen pastels and oils by accomplished figure painter Gonzalez Dellosso are featured in the summer exhibition. Romance and symbolism borrowed from literature, poetry, and the artist's fertile imagination are presented in glowing, richly-detailed pictures.

Dellosso, a widely-exhibited, award-winning painter at mid-career, is a native New Yorker who teaches figure drawing and painting at the prestigious National Academy School, New York City.

The Baum exhibition is an informal retrospective presenting pieces that have already been exhibited and published, along with recently-completed masterworks.

States Oaklander of Dellosso, "She has a gypsy-like appearance with dark hair and eyes, dressed in lacy and embroidered garments. She surrounds herself with antique furniture, fabrics, dolls and a cage full of finches, which are woven into her work.

"Her impeccably painted clowns, brides, friends and family members present a range of moods and personalities including resignation, despair, shame, contemplation and puzzlement.

"Her compositions, several presented on a monumental scale, strike us with their rich coloring, gorgeous fabrics and objects, and dramatic lighting, but their mysterious, unresolved mood makes us linger, wondering if a story or message is intended."

Dellosso, winner of a state-wide art competition at age 13, has amassed an impressive number of accomplishments and awards, participating in group and solo exhibitions at museums and galleries across the United States and abroad, most notably her first solo exhibition in 2006 at the Butler Institute of American Art.

Private and public clients have made a steady stream of acquisitions, with representation in collections at the Butler Institute; Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University; Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, Mo; and the New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, Conn.

Information: gabrieladellosso.com