Press& Reviews

Hamptons Art Hub, September 21, 2013
"Art Review: Dennis Leri – Putting More into Minimalism" (pdf) by Eric Ernst
"...Leri is able to illuminate emotive and spiritual content through the elimination solely of the spurious and superfluous, thereby reflecting Hans Hofmann’s observation that one must “eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”

Long Island Pulse Magazine, July 2012
"Artist VIPs 2012: Dennis Leri" (pdf) by Michael Purgar
"...metal sculpture can be intimidating. what is it about, really? in the case of this sculptor’s metal assemblies, it’s about balance. and harmony. ditto the wood pieces. there are no outcasts here."

The East Hampton Star, December 15, 2011
"Dennis Leri: Perpetual Student" (pdf) by Bridget LeRoy
"Dennis Leri, a Springs artist known for his large, abstract metal sculptures, said teaching has brought him to a more organic understanding of his own work. He has recently returned to his roots, leading an adult art workshop in figurative sculpture at the Golden Eagle."

The East Hampton Press, September 22, 2009
"Perspectives" by Eric Ernst
"...Dennis Leri's sculptures and sculptural wall pieces also work to pluck emotional chords through colors and textures, albeit from a more intentionally abstract perspective. ...Mr. Leri's pieces gain in impact when viewed from a distance. This allows the melodies arrived through contrasts in line and hue to become an orchestrated arrangement that conjures musical interactions between the various components.

Divided into three conceptual segments, titled "Optimism," "Urban Cadence" and "Relationships," the works' greatest strengths lie in these rhythmic cadences that spur aspects of narrative relationships arising from the sensitive yet insistent interactions of color, form and shape. Simultaneously both stolid and delicate, their harmonious elements are never contrived and they reflect an understanding of how contradictions work together to create a whole more powerful than the sum of its parts.

In musical terms, to continue the analogy, these contradictions bear out the violinist Yehudi Menuhin's assertion that "rhythm imposes unanimity upon the divergent, melody imposes continuity upon the disjointed, and harmony imposes compatibility upon the incongruous."
Throughout, then, order becomes inseparable from disarray, as in "Feature Article," in which the work is imbued with an overwhelming atmosphere of syncopation that is wholly urban in its melding of rhythms and images.

At the same time, the amalgamation of these components into a coherent whole creates a definite structure, but not one that is unyielding or absent aspects of an innocent exuberance derived from the artist's forceful use of geometric forms and the manner in which he constructs the relationships between them.

This kind of creation of structure is also apparent in freestanding sculptures such as "New Beginnings," which effectively uses negative space to create a profound sense of presence and scale. This effect allows the viewer to respond to the physical elements of the work's geometric configurations while also paying close attention to hints at hidden harmonies that emanate, not simply from the interaction of shapes but also from the gentle presence of empty space, what Gertrude Stein once referred to as "pretty air.""

Dan's Papers, September 18, 2009
"Leri at Marcelle" (pdf) by Marion Wolberg Weiss
"He uses the original luscious colors of many of the decade's cars, like meadow green, coral and turquoise, placing aluminum sheeting on the surface to symbolize the era's "new metal." What's intriguing about the configurations are the abstract patterns that emerge. Such patterns suggest all sorts of images and figures, which seem spontaneously created. The result: some of the freshest abstractions we've seen in a long time."

The East Hampton Star, May 12, 2009
"Artists Do Still Live Here" by Jennifer Landes
"...The same might even be said for Dennis Leri’s piece of metal and paint fitted and screwed to a panel or stretcher. Called "59 Golden Rod Yellow," presumably for the yellow paint that the artist has applied to the metal in a loose composition, the work fuses uneven strips of metal to form a larger work of steady proportions. It joins sculpture and painting, once again toying with formalist strictures, but adds a freer hand both in the application of color and in the bold color itself."

The East Hampton Star, May 5, 2009
"The Art Scene" by Elise D’Haene
"...in the Guild Hall 71st Annual Artist Members Exhibition...Other winners include Claire Heimarck (best abstract), Frederick Paxton Werner (best representational work), Mary Ellen Bartley (best photograph), Christian Routh (best work on paper), Sally Richardson (best sculpture), and Dennis Leri (best mixed media)."

The Southampton Press, April 28, 2009
"Renovated Guild Hall Welcomes Back the Whole Members Show" by Pat Rogers
"...Best Mixed Media went to Dennis Leri for his work using aluminum and metallic car paint, "59 Ford Goldenrod Yellow." The piece is part of the series, "50s Optimism," that channels the first colored cars available for the masses after World War II. The series will be exhibited at Peter Marcelle Contemporary in Southampton this summer."

The Southampton Press, June 4, 2008
"Perspectives" by Eric Ernst
"...featured at the Gideon Stein Gallery in Bridgehampton...of notable interest are works by Dennis Leri, who, in hanging sculptural pieces such as "New York Decaf" (aluminum), shows an accomplished ability to conjure a narrative stream that arises less from his inclusion of graphic elements than from his symphonic arrangement of forms and shapes. In "Arrival/Departure", on the other hand, the artist’s sense of simplicity and understanding of principles of minimalism offer a mystical air of conceptual distance, while his use of angles and geometry creates a sense of gentle movement that belies its stolid stance."

Dan’s Papers, September 21, 2007
"Art Commentary" by Marion Wolberg Weiss
"There is a sense of rhythm to Dennis Leri’s metal abstraction series, "Urban Cadence". These structures have their own internal sounds, but also these sounds transcend height and weight, sending lyrical patterns throughout their environment."

The Southampton Press, September 12, 2007
"Perspectives" by Eric Ernst
"...new works by Dennis Leri, whose wall piece, "Urban Cadence #1" (welded steel), creates dense and foreboding rhythms through the layering of interlocking planes of metal. The work is deceptively elegant and the artist’s use of melodic interplay of planes and textures is both lyrically poetic and highly evocative."

East Hampton Press, August 22, 2007
"Rhythms of Leri's Work Evoke a Sense of Music" (pdf) by Pat Rogers
"There’s something about Dennis Leri’s art that conjures music.
Maybe it’s the way the shapes relate to each other while encouraging the eye to move from one to the next.
Or maybe it’s the way peaks slide into valleys and then leap back up again, weaving an entire composition. Or maybe it’s the visual repetition, punctuated by texture. No matter whether the artist is working in steel, burnt wood or paint, the sense of rhythm is hard to miss."

VOX Magazine, May 29, 2006
"The Many Facets of Dennis Leri" (pdf) by Melanie Zobian
"By choosing materials as he works, Leri has produced what he believes are his most creative pieces — whether mixed media sculpture, metal sculpture, paintings or maquettes for future outdoor sculpture. His creativity knows no bounds, literally — he may weld outside then paint and assemble manipulated pieces inside, using any or all of the techniques to create a work."

The Southampton Press, August 11, 2005
"Perspectives" by Eric Ernst
"Of particular interest in this year’s installment is Dennis Leri’s ‘Luminous Induction’ (mixed media), which effectively blends the raw power of sculpture with the more delicately ethereal elements of painting. Consisting of an elegantly polished metal form that floats over the brightly painted surface of the work, the piece creates a distinct rhythmic cadence that is powerful and arresting."

Dan’s Papers, August 20, 2004
"Art Commentary" by Marion Wolberg Weiss
"...Dennis Leri’s mixed media pieces confront construction and material and experimentation with paint cans. Not exactly Warhol’s soup cans, but perhaps along the same lines: the use of common objects…Mr. Leri often uses cans, not merely as an extension of himself, but also as a recycling tool, this notion possibly evoking another theme: rebirth (recalling his homage to the Twin Towers after September 11)."

Dan’s Papers, September 12, 2003
"Art Commentary" by Marion Wolberg Weiss
"Dennis Leri’s assemblages continue his new series using metal material. One standout is ‘New York Decafe’, a work that lends itself to references and signs. The material in ‘From the Rubble’ evokes flexibility, freedom, density and pliancy."

The East Hampton Star, September 19, 2002
"From the Studio" by Rose C.S. Slivka
"Dennis Leri’s polished, layered sheet metal sculptures clearly show the nature of materials, individual touch, and vision are the final arbiters in determining the shape of his work. His constructions of shining, interlocking sheets seem as inevitable as they are final and elegant."

The Southampton Press, September 19, 2002
"Perspectives" by Eric Ernst
"Dennis Leri’s machine-like assemblages offer a jarring contrast in their metallic materials and yet nevertheless reflect the artist’s highly painterly priorities."

Dan’s Papers, September 13, 2002
"Art Commentary" by Marion Wolberg Weiss
"Dennis Leri’s series in the exhibit also represents a direct, metaphorical response, like individual works ("West Street") containing pieces of metal. (His "Cherry Blossom Twig" may signify renewal.)"

The East Hampton Star, August 17, 2000
"Opinion" by Brett Littman
"Dennis Leri’s ‘Sienna Blues’, a mixed-media wall piece, explores texture and color, and the mix of oranges and greens is jarring and intriguing."

The East Hampton Star, May 11, 2000
"From the Studio" by Rose C.S. Slivka
"The poet and sculptor Dennis Leri is outstanding as he incorporates the words of own fine poetry in sheets and layers of bronze and other cast and welded metals."

Dan’s Papers, October 8, 1999
"Art Commentary" by Marion Wolberg Weiss
"...Mr. Leri’s paintings, which combine abstract imagery with text-the visuals existing as entities by themselves, the words allowing the pieces to become conceptual art."

Dan’s Papers, May 15, 1998
"Art Commentary" with Marion Wolberg Weiss
"Dennis Leri’s ‘Yet to Be Told’ combines abstraction with actual words which are informally scratched beneath bands of color. It’s a provocative painting, allowing us to think about its meaning."