Bemidji State University art professor Marley Kaul's fourth and final book, "Marley Kaul Paintings," will be released in September, featuring over 300 full-color paintings selected by Kaul and his family. The hardcover coffee table book is divided into 10 chapters that trace Kaul's artistic development from 1961 to 2021, including a final chapter titled "The Unfinished Series" from his last year. A retrospective exhibition of nearly 50 paintings will open at the Talley Gallery on September 4, followed by three book release events in Minneapolis, Bemidji, and Grand Forks.
This matters because the book and accompanying exhibition serve as a comprehensive tribute to a lifelong artist and educator who taught at Bemidji State University for 30 years and painted for six decades. The project, completed after Kaul's death in 2021, preserves his legacy and offers the public a virtual tour of his career, highlighting the dedication of an artist who continued creating until the very end.