Turn your head one way, and you can see the beauty of man.

Turn your head the other way, and you see man’s uglier side.

That layout was what curator Anné Klint had in mind when she formed “A Measure of Humanity — The Harcos-Huneke Collection,” an art gallery

show opening today at the Grand Theatre Center for the Arts.

Gallery Supervisor William Wilson said the artwork collected by Julie Harcos and Jack Huneke depicts various aspects of humanity, a theme revealed best by the two works at the polar ends of the gallery.

On one side, there is a vibrant orange painting of a lithe woman, titled “Angel Rocker.” On the far wall hangs a painting called “Deportation,” showing huddled, faceless masses.

The farther to one side a person goes, the more extreme the experience will be. The two expressions meet and intertwine in the middle.

“I thought it was an incredibly timely exhibition, given the state of current affairs,” Wilson said. “There’s a lot of people struggling with what is valuable and important in society when times are tough economically. This show touches on a lot of those emotions and frustrations that we feel.”

The gallery, which opens the Grand’s 2009-10 exhibition season, also coincides with this weekend’s downtown Tracy Dry Bean Festival. Those who stroll through can see works from both international artists, such as Hajrush Fazliu of Kosovo, and local artists, such as Stockton’s Joe Mariscal. Paintings, as well as sculptures and “found art,” are featured in the exhibit.

“Normally, people would be driving to San Francisco or Sacramento to have access to this kind of work,” Wilson said. “So any time we can bring this kind of show into Tracy and let people have that experience right here in downtown, (it’s) a good thing.”

“A Measure of Humanity” will run for 10 weeks, Wilson said, and is free and open to the public.

Klint, along with Harcos and Huneke, will give a special talk about the collection from 1 to

3 p.m. Oct. 17.

At a glance

• WHAT: “A Measure of Humanity — The Harcos-Huneke Collection”

• WHEN: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; The exhibition will be open normal

gallery hours on weekdays for 10 weeks.

• WHERE: Grand Theatre Center for the Arts,

715 S. Central Ave.