'Stephen Holland Celebrates Baseball,' the First-Ever S.F. Solo Exhibition of the World's Pre-Eminent Celebrity Sports Artist, Opens at San Francisco Art Exchange on Sat. July 7 With a 7pm Artist's Reception

'Stephen Holland Celebrates Baseball,' the First-Ever S.F. Solo Exhibition of the World's Pre-Eminent Celebrity Sports Artist, Opens at San Francisco Art Exchange on Sat. July 7 With a 7pm Artist's Reception

ON JULY 9, COINCIDING WITH 7/10'S ALL-STAR GAME AT AT&T PARK, SFAE WILL HOST A VIP EVENT FEATURING A SET BY SINGER-SONGWRITER RAQUEL AURILIA, WIFE OF S.F. GIANTS INFIELDER RICH AURILIA

SAN FRANCISCO, July 3 /PRNewswire/ -- "Stephen Holland Celebrates Baseball", the first one-man exhibition of the pre-eminent celebrity sports painter ever to be presented in San Francisco, will open at the San Francisco Art Exchange (SFAE) on Saturday, July 7. Holland, who lives and works in Southern California, will attend the 7 PM artist's reception; the show runs throughout July.

SFAE's Stephen Holland exhibition is timed to coincide with Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2007 All-Star break and 78th All-Star Game on July 10, hosted this year by the San Francisco Giants. It marks the third time that the Midsummer Classic has been held in the City by the Bay (the last was 1984), and the first time it takes place at AT&T Park, which opened in 2000.

"A show of Stephen's work seemed like an ideal way to both honor the All-Star Game's return to our city, and to find an authentic and special way to spotlight an artist we've long admired," says SFAE co-founder/director Theron Kabrich. "Stephen is an amazing draftsman, and that precision, combined with the vivid expressiveness of his brushstroke, allows him to capture the vitality and drama of an athlete in the most powerful way. His works are truly exciting."

Stephen Holland's vast repertoire of world-renowned artworks of legendary sports figures includes extensive published art authorized by the Major League Baseball, many hand-signed by the athletes portrayed as well as by the artist. Among the pieces at SFAE's show are paintings of Willie Mays and Muhammad Ali, and limited edition, mixed-media giclee prints of Yogi Berra, Sandy Koufax, Albert Pujols, Cal Ripken and Nolan Ryan, among others. At the opening, SFAE will also unveil new portraits of other outstanding San Francisco Giants.

In addition to Major League Baseball, Holland has created works authorized by sports organizations including the National Basketball Association, National Football League and National Hockey League, and he is the "Official Sports Artist" for the L.A. Kings and for Muhammad Ali. Holland was also one of only 12 artists picked by the U.S. Olympic Committee to represent the 100th Anniversary of the Olympics.

As a child, with one leg confined to a brace, Holland was unable to play sports, but was always fascinated by them. He studied at NYC's Art Students League, School of Visual Arts and Pratt Institute. When he began painting, unable to afford live models, he used photos in boxing magazines as his subjects. Today, his works are collected worldwide.

SFAE will also host a VIP event on Mon. July 9 -- which Holland will attend along with other expected notables -- featuring a special acoustic performance by singer-songwriter Raquel Aurilia, wife of S.F. Giants infielder Rich Aurilia. The night before the All-Star Game, "An Evening With Raquel Aurilia" kicks off at 7:30PM, and her set begins at 8:30PM. Aurilia's debut album Finding My Way will be released July 31 on Shea Records with distribution through Universal/Fontana. The first single, "Where Was I," is available on iTunes; the follow-up, "Feels Like," comes out in July.

Co-founded in 1983 by Theron Kabrich and James Hartley, San Francisco Art Exchange, LLC -- "Gallery Of The Popular Image" -- is a leader in international fine art sales and publishing, with a global reputation as premiere purveyors of world-class pop culture imagery including paintings, illustrations, photography and more. SFAE has long represented the art of Alberto Vargas, album cover artist Roger Dean, fantasy-genre master Boris Vallejo, painter Ronnie Wood and many noted rock/celebrity photographers including Bill Wyman, Ethan Russell, Terry O'Neill, Pattie Boyd, Mick Rock, Jerrold Schatzberg, Joel Brodsky and many others. They are located at 458 Geary Street in San Francisco.

For more information, log on to http://www.sfae.com/

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Source: San Francisco Art Exchange

CONTACT: Michael Jensen, +1-626-585-9575, info@jensencom.com, for San
Francisco Art Exchange

Web site: http://www.sfae.com/

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