Submitted photos Artist Gary Erbe has been exhibiting his work at the Butler Institute of American Art for more than 40 years.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Butler Institute of American Art and artist Gary Erbe have a relationship that spans more than 40 years.

That partnership continues with “Gary Erbe: Magical World,” which opens Sunday at the Butler.

Erbe first exhibited there in the early 1980s as one of the artists selected for the annual Midyear exhibition. An art dealer friend invited him to dinner with Butler Emeritus Director Louis A. Zona at Cafe 422 in Warren.

“That’s when I met Dr. Zona, and at the restaurant, he said to me, and I quote, he said, ‘Gary, we love your work. We’d like to give you a one-man show,'” Erbe said during a telephone interview from his home in New Jersey.

“That was very nice, because it’s an honor to have a show at the Butler. My first show there was in 1985.”

It was followed by career retrospective exhibitions to mark Erbe’s 25th, 40th and 50th year as an artist. His work also is part of the Butler’s permanent collection.

“He’s been wonderful to the museum,” Zona said. “He’s sent artists our way and donors our way. I can’t say enough good things about Gary Erbe.”

The feeling is mutual.

“I’ve met many, many museum curators and directors, and I must say, most of them are snooty snobs,” Erbe said.

“Lou Zona is not only very down to earth, but he also shows a great interest in the living artist. He realizes that it’s important to give us opportunities, and he has done that over the years, and I respect that very much in him. He’s a real gentle, kind person, has a big heart, and he loves the living artist.”

Erbe is a self-taught artist inspired by the trompe l’oeil (which means “fool the eye”) painters from France, but he takes the objects he paints out of their natural environment to create works he has described as “Levitational Realism.”

“It is so skillfully done, just totally remarkable how he achieves what he achieves,” Zona said. “I asked him about that one time. He told me, ‘I just work all the time. Want to know where I am? I’m in my studio.’ He’s just totally devoted to the work.”

The idea for “Magical World” started with Erbe’s American flag paintings. Erbe has created 15 paintings since 1971 inspired by the American flag.

Two are large-scale works created for the Bicentennial in 1976, and one of them he described as the largest trompe l’oeil work ever painted on an easel. One of those two paintings was the first work he ever exhibited at the Butler, and it recently was purchased by the museum from its previous owner.

“Who would have thought many, many years later the museum would purchase that painting,” Erbe said.

“Obviously, this is a very historical year, and I thought it might be interesting to put together my flag paintings. It’s the very first time this is happening for me, bringing them all together for an exhibit and having a special show with the focus on my American flag paintings.”

Erbe decided to broaden the focus and will be showing an additional 35 works, including “Celebrating the American Patriot,” an homage to the 16th President, Abraham Lincoln.

“There’s no question Abraham Lincoln was an exceptional man in a time when the country was torn apart, and it could have gone either way,” Erbe said. “It could have been a divided country or united country. And you know, he held the country together, besides other things he did of importance. He was an incredible man.”

Erbe will attend a meet-the-artist reception from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.

After the show closes at the Butler on March 29, the work will travel to the Reading Public Museum in Pennsylvania and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art in Indiana.

An 88-page catalogue accompanies the exhibition.

If you go …

WHAT: “Gary Erbe: Magical World”

WHEN: Sunday through March 29 with meet-the-artist reception from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

WHERE: Butler Institute of American Art, 524 Wick Ave., Youngstown

HOW MUCH: Admission is free. For more information, go to www.butlerart.com or call 330-743-1107.