Selected Press Reviews
Roland Bernier debuted as an artist to acclaim as evidenced by these quotes from the 1960s:
“‘Refinery’ by Roland Bernier … is a keyed complexity of interlocking swirls, moving from neutral colors to intense passages of brilliant colors to give a sense of great movement, which sense is aided by a rich textual pattern.”
– December 2, 1961 , Joseph Cain’s 11th column in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times
:
“Rarely have I felt so contented about abstract painting as I did after seeing some of the pictures in this show.”
Campbell Greeslin, The Houston Post, 1961
“Bernier’s work is all abstract … the nicest pictures in the room are his two large … constructions. One is in shades of blue, and the other is in yellow and orange.”
Sharon Walker of the Houston Post
Bernier was tremendously prolific. Over long periods, he embraced abstraction, ultimately creating pseudo alphabets of enigmatic symbols that were arrayed in loosely organized grids.
Michael Paglia, Westword
Word’s Worth: The Late Roland Bernier’s Works Take Over the Arvada Center’s Main Level
September 17, 2021
”In Arvada, exhibit takes a read on Roland Bernier's long career…”
Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post
What’s In a Word
October 10, 2021
“In the main gallery, on the first floor of this long-standing, unique, multi-purpose arts center is the solo exhibition Roland Bernier: In Other Words, which features many years of compelling text inspired art.”
Dominick Lombardi, DARTInternational Magazine
Text In Art, at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
October 10, 2021
“…Roland Bernier, a Denver master so ahead of the pack that while these works date back several years, they still look up-to-the-minute.”
Michael Paglia, Westword
Review: Uncanny Is Poppin' Fresh at Walker Fine Art
February 14, 2018
An image from Roland Bernier’s “Words on Wheels” series was featured in an article about the Modella Gallery in Stillwater, OK. Simultaneously, Bernier was in a show at the gallery and was mentioned in the same article. Pages 17 & 18.
Roxanne Beason, Art Focus.
Modella Gallery:Exploring Contemporary Art in Rural Oklahoma
Summer, 2018
Bernier became a key figure in the contemporary scene in Denver beginning in the 1980s and was active until just a year before his death last summer. He had initially achieved success with his paintings, collages and other works on paper, which could be loosely described as abstractions with all-over patterns. Then, in the ’90s, he turned to using words as his principal compositional device, and he never looked back.
Michael Paglia, Westword
Art Review: Getting the Concept with Unexpected Narratives and Roland Bernier
February 03, 2016
“For the sculptures, Bernier has covered high-heeled shoes and the wedges on which they're mounted with an all-over pattern made from cut-up prints of his name.”
Michael Paglia, Westword
Octogenarian Roland Bernier's Final Show Comes to Life in Two Parts
July 4, 2013
“One of Denver’s most inventive artists, Bernier has been exploring the intersection of words and art for 40 years. What sets Bernier’s work apart is his interest not in the meanings of words but in their shapes and appearance. This exhibition will offer a 20-year retrospective of his output.”
Denver Post
Summer Arts Preview
July 28, 2011
Bernier is one of the greatest artists who has ever worked in Colorado. Born in Rhode Island in 1932, he wound up at the University of Texas in Austin, where he got his BFA in 1957; he earned an MFA at the University of Southern California in 1960.
Michael Paglia, Westword
Two Colorado Artists Show Off Their Signature Styles at Walker Fine Art
June 7, 2011
“Among the current offerings is a case in point: Vinyl, a solo dedicated to Roland Bernier, the master of Denver conceptualism. The show is a continuation of the artist's interest in using words as his subjects.”
Michael Paglia, Westword
Roland Bernier, Patricia Aaron and John Alberty at Spark
November 5, 2009
“…the largest and most impressive creation in the show. It's a grid of thirty framed works on paper, hung six wide and five high. Each depicts a dollar bill with Bernier's signature superimposed across it. The installation refers to appropriation, minimalism, conceptualism and, of course, Bernier's use of words.”
Michael Paglia, Westword
Roland Bernier at Walker Fine Art
April 30, 2009
“There are about thirty of us,” says member Roland Bernier, “and for the birthday show, we’re going to put up paintings, sculptures and mixed media that we’ve all done in the last two years. With all the work and support our members put in, we thought it would be the proper thing to do.”
Mark Dragotta, Westword
Big Three Oh
January 1, 2009
“…and Denver's Roland Bernier, best known for his works made up of words. These recent Berniers are unexpected, like the two small horse sculptures covered with text passages on paper.”
Michael Paglia, Westword
The Man Show at Walker Fine Art
December 4, 2008
“Dodge is joined by Roland Bernier, who’s been painting since the 1960s and who is one of the few artists in town to have ever been given a solo at the Denver Art Museum”
Michael Paglia, Westword
Space Cadets
July 24, 2008
“Bernier’s art draws its power from ignoring or even denying the meaning of words, an unconventional and in some ways radical approach that sets him apart from most other artists who incorporate text in their works to draw in some way on the denotation of word … In short, Bernier gives ‘wordsmith’ a whole new meaning.”
Kyle MacMillan, Denver Post
Wordsmith: Art Review From The Denver Post
July 20, 2007
“For most of us, words are symbols that have evolved over centuries, each alluding to some aspect of the world and holding a distinctive, if not always exactly distinct, meaning. But veteran Denver artist Roland Bernier throws such thinking upside down. He is not so much interested in what words mean as how they look.”
Kyle MacMillan, Denver Post
Denver Artist Roland Bernier’s Wordplay at Gallery
July 18, 2007
“…we are still fully under the influence of the Hamilton Effect, as shown in spades at Walker Fine Art, where Retrospective: 20 Years of Roland Bernier is smartly ensconced through July. Unquestionably, the Bernier show is among the very best offerings Walker has ever put on display.
Michael Paglia, Westword
A Retrospective: 20 Years of Roland Bernier
June 21, 2007
“I was surprised when I heard that Roland Bernier joined the co-op Spark Gallery (900 Santa Fe Drive, 720-889-2200). After all, Bernier is an acknowledged master of contemporary art in Denver. He's had a solo at the Denver Art Museum, for heaven's sake! But there is an explanation: The key perk of Spark membership, as with that of any co-op, is a guaranteed show once a year. That's a luxury for any artist, even one as established as Bernier.”
Michael Paglia, Westword
Framed (The light and dark of it)
November 11, 2005
“Bernier uses letters as a principal aesthetic device, giving his works a decidedly pop-art feel. The letters spell out words, but they are freely associated and do not tell a story.”
Michael Paglia, Westword
Change and Continuity
May 27, 2004
“There's no question about it: Roland Bernier is one of Denver's greatest contemporary artists. His vision is remarkable in its variation and monumentality. His output is astounding.”
Michael Paglia, Westword
Wordsmith
May 10, 2001
”With Ahead of it’s Time, Bernier explores, as he does with most of his current art, the relationship between cliches, words and images. My particular slant (in the piece) is the cliche of time.”
Sean Weaver, The Metropolitan
The Emmanuel Gallery Presents a Show That Ranges from Pretty to Pornographic
August, 21, 1998
“Just what is well-known Denver artist Roland Bernier implying when he calls his current show at the Mackey Gallery Casting Pearls? Is the audience--the gallery-going public--the swine? "The title is taken from one of the pieces in the show which literally pairs pearls and swine, so I wasn't trying to be disrespectful," Bernier says. "But," he adds with a laugh, "if the shoe fits..."
Michael Paglia, Westword
In a Pig’s Eye
November 20, 1997
“Roland Bernier, Annalee Schorr and John Haeseler create clearly distinct works, but they're drawing from the same wellspring of inspiration: pop art of the 1960s. The artists start with found images and text taken from magazines or television and, in some cases, supplement them with images of their own.”
Michael Paglia, Westword
Touch Tones
January 31, 1996
“A principal benefit of following the Denver art scene is the wealth of local artists who pursue their work oblivious to the shifting sands of contemporary trends. Sometimes, though, a solitary approach can lead an artist right into the middle of those trends.”
Michael Paglia, Westword
Spell - Bound
August 23, 1995