LEWISTON — Celebrating the last few days of the exhibition “Joseph Nicoletti: A Retrospective,” this acclaimed realist painter and Bates College faculty member will give a gallery talk on Thursday, Sept. 23.

“I want to be provoked by thoughtful questions rather than to deliver a formal lecture” at the event, the artist said. The talk, open to the public at no cost, will begin at 6 p.m. in the Bates College Museum of Art, Olin Arts Center, 75 Russell St. A reception will follow.

“Nicoletti’s images are beautiful, subtle and complex, rich with references to art history,” said Anthony Shostak, museum education curator. “He is deeply concerned with beauty and takes pains to make each image special.”

The 60 paintings and drawings in the exhibition come from the museum’s collection, other museums and private collections, and from Nicoletti himself. An accompanying catalog features an essay by eminent art historian Jeffrey Muller, professor of history of art and architecture at Brown University.

A lecturer in the art and visual culture department, Nicoletti has taught at Bates since 1981.

Born in 1948 in Toritto, Italy, Nicoletti earned a master’s degree in fine arts from Yale University in 1972, and a bachelor’s degree from Queens College in New York. He has exhibited internationally, and his work is in major collections.

The exhibition will close on Saturday, Sept. 25. For more information, call 786-6158.