REFLECTIONS

Now the sine qua non of mega-collectors and elite auction houses around the world, the once subversive “” that originated in in the 1980s with such artists as and Jean Michel Basquiat has redefined where and how we look at art. Today, in the streets and in contemporary galleries, names such as Banksy, Stik and Shepard Fairey are familiar to hip, younger collectors. With fairs and festivals from New York to the Greek Islands and beyond, “Street Art” has become a global phenomenon.

The wave of creativity that began to be noticed thirty-five years ago in New York’s East Village and brought renown to such ‘tags’ as “Samo,” “Crash,” “Daze” and “Lady Pink” was a fertile, drug fueled period of spray and splatter. Julian Schnabel had begun to make headlines for the upstart Mary Boone Gallery as Ronald Reagan became President and scientists raced to contain the spread of a mysterious and deadly new virus (HIV Aids). It was into this environment that Canadian artist Richard Hambleton arrived.

Hambleton’s first stop in America was the west coast of the United States. He used funds from a grant to visit cities like Seattle and San Francisco, where he caused an uproar with his controversial “Mass Murder” series. The artist peppered the sidewalks with white chalk outlines of bodies – like those a police coroner sketches around the victim of a crime – the bloodier looking the better. The authorities were not amused. He was told also, that he was ineligible for future grant money by his donors.

Moving next to New York, Hambleton shifted his canvas from city streets to city walls, now painting life-size black shadow figures reminiscent of those photographed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after its citizens had been vaporized by nuclear blasts. This new and powerful body of work, which he coined “street realism,” was well-known to denizens of the Lower East Side and provocatively sinister at night. Poised at the entrance to alleyways, on doorways and above loading docks, his life-sized silhouettes would startle passersby who would look twice to be sure there wasn’t someone actually there, lurking menacingly in the shadows. This combination of plein air painting, and downright mischievous theatrics made Hambleton one of the most sought-after artists of the period. He became a legend among his peers, painting his Shadowmen in many other cities in America and abroad. Not unlike Francis Bacon with his interest in the macabre, Jackson Pollock with his drips, and more recently James Nares with his mops, Hambleton’s style is recognizable. He is an action painter whose subjects, including Marlboro Men, rodeo riders, gigantic ocean waves, black cats and figures running in the surf, befit his style.

This exhibition, which is a micro-survey of the last thirty-five years, includes works from as early as 1982 and as late as 2017. While the repetition one sees in Hambleton’s visual vocabulary is no doubt a concession to the marketplace, the integrity of his work is self-evident. If this once willful and uncompromising “wunderkind” of the 1980s fell prey to the demand of his patrons (and enablers) over many decades in order to survive, rather than hold forth only for his muse, so be it. And, despite failing health, his recent work remains energetic, fresh and even elegant.

Perhaps no subject of Hambleton’s visual vocabulary is more popular than the “Rodeo Painting.” A cowboy, holding fast to a bucking bronco, is not only an exciting subject to paint but also an incredibly powerful American icon. With pounding hoofs and splashing mud, the silhouette of this anonymous everyman remains riveting through many, many permutations in sizes from petite to monumental. It’s really hard not to love them.

Hambleton followed a different muse in the creation of his abstracted “Beautiful Paintings” often titled “----“. These compositions, many with bright metallic backgrounds and verdant flora, are complementary to the shadow paintings yet seem to reveal the artist in a more positive state of mind. They shine with a less often seen gorgeousness of Hambleton’s creative spirit. Glistening with inner light and moodiness, they present an idyllic realm much less scary than Hambleton’s shadow world. In stark contrast to anything else in his oeuvre, it is the “Blood Paintings” that, for many, are the most disturbing. My memory of seeing these works for the first time is indelible. Invited for a studio visit in the 1990s, an assistant and I arrived at a small, dusty loft, bare except for a few pieces of furniture and a mattress in the corner. On the floor was a stack of sepia toned drawings on rag paper that appeared to be a hybrid of the wave and beautiful paintings. Some were minimal with geometric shapes; others were complete Turner-esque landscapes. Hambleton had created them with his own blood, drawn with a syringe. The artist explained matter-of- factly how he efficiently repurposed syringes for a second use by drawing his own blood. Then, as any great illustrator would handle a technical pen, he worked meticulously with this red ink, which soon turned brown.

In the years that have followed, having seen prison drawings by Rudolf Bauer, intricate soap sculptures by prison inmates, “outsider” drawings by Bill Traylor and other art created in the least likely or hospitable environments, I have come to stand in awe of the creative drive of artists to make art by whatever means necessary and with whatever tools are at hand. The muse is strong in them and the results are often breathtaking. Many artists wrestle with the muse, some dance with her, and some are enslaved. I believe Richard has encountered the muse in all of her guises.

Steven Lowy July 2017 Steven Lowy, Portrait of Richard Hambleton. Circa 1983-1985. Digital print 19” x 13” PRESS

5 RICHARD HAMBLETON

6 PRESS

7 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Untitled (Shadowman on Door), 1982 Mixed Media on Steel Door, 99 x 31 inches

8 SHADOW PAINTINGS

Untitled (Shadow Man, Jumper), 2009 Acrylic on canvas 73 1/2 x 53 1/2 inches

9 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Atlantic City, 1982 Acrylic on Canvas, 90 x 52 inches Provenance: Alexander Milliken Gallery

10 SHADOW PAINTINGS

Shadow Painting, ca 1980s Acrylic on galvanized steel, 81 1/2 x 36 inches

11 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Untitled (Halston Shadow Head), 1983-94 Acrylic on Paper, 19 3/4 x 15 inches

12 HALSTON SHADOW HEADS

Untitled (Halston Shadow Head), 1983-94 Acrylic on Paper, 19 3/4 x 15 inches

13 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Untitled (Shadow Head), 1983-94 Acrylic on Paper, 19 3/4 x 15 inches

14 SPLATTER HEADS

Teal and Copper Shadow Head, 1997 Metallic Paint on Board, 26 x 24 inches

15 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Untitled (shadow painting #4), N.D. Acrylic on Paper, 21 x 14 inches

16 SPLATTER HEADS

Untitled, 1999 Acrylic on Luan, 33 1/2 x 24 1/2 inches

17 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Untitled (shadow head), Circa 2005-10 Acrylic on Paper, 17.5 x 13.5 inches

18 SHADOW HEADS

Untitled (shadow painting #1), Circa 1989 Acrylic on Found Proofing Sheets, 21 x 15 inches

19 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Untitled (shadow painting #2), Circa 1989 Acrylic on Found Proofing Sheets, 21 x 15 inches

20 SHADOW HEADS

Untitled (shadow painting #3), Circa 1989 Acrylic on Found Proofing Sheets, 21 x 15 inches

21 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Hank O’Neal, Aug 27, 1981 Chromogenic inkjet archival print, 20 x 24 inches

22 HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Hank O’Neal, Shadow man with Basquiat tag, 1981 Hank O’ Neal and Chris RWK, Chromogenic inkjet archival print, 23 x 17 inches Shadow man with Basquiat tag, 2012 Mixed media collaboration over archival digital photo on canvas, 60 x 40 inches

23 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Untitled (Orange Rodeo Rider), 2005 Acrylic on Canvas, 60 x 60 inches

24 RODEO PAINTINGS

Untitled (Frank’s Chop Shop/Rodeo), 2016 Acrylic on Canvas, 61 x 23 inches

25 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Untitled (Small Rodeo Rider), 2003 Acrylic on Canvas, 11 x 8.5 inches

26 RODEO PAINTINGS

Untitled (Silver Rodeo Rider), 2012 Acrylic on Canvas, 106 x 67 inches

27 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Untitled (Purple Rodeo Rider), 2016 Acrylic on Canvas, 40 x 30 inches

28 RODEO PAINTINGS

Untitled (Rodeo Rider), 1985 Acrylic on Canvas, 96 x 72 inches Provenance: Piezo Electric Gallery

29 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Untitled (Beautiful Painting), 2000 Acrylic and metal leaf on masonite, 17.5 x 23.5 inches

30 BEATUTIFUL PAINTINGS

Untitled (Green Mist), 1987 Oil on Canvas and Panel, 22 x 66 x 4 inches

31 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Untitled (Red Squares C738), 1987 Watercolor on Paper, 17 7/8 x 23 13/16 inches

32 BEATUTIFUL PAINTINGS

Untitled (Black Square C740), 1987 Watercolor on Paper, 17 7/8 x 23 13/16 inches

33 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Untitled, 1994 Blood on Watercolor paper, 16 x 20 inches

34 BLOOD PAINTINGS

Untitled, 1995 Blood on Watercolor paper, 12 x 16 inches

35 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Untitled (Tabletop), 1987 Mixed Media on Wood, 22 x 30 inches

36 RICHARD HAMBLETON

ADDENDUM

37 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Red, 1984 Acrylic on canvas, 112 3/4 x 40 1/4 inches

38 ILLUSTRATIONS

Cover/Pg 29: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Rodeo Rider). 1985. Acrylic on canvas. 96 x 72 inches ( 243.8 x 182.9 cm). Signed lower left. Exhibited by Doug Milford Gallery, New York. Private Collection. Los Angeles, CA

Page 4: Lowy, Steven. Studio Portrait of Richard Hambleton, ca. 1983-1985, Digital print on archival paper. 19 x 13 inches (48.2 x 33 cm). Signed lower right. Courtesy of Steven Lowy.

Page 5: Cynthia Nadelman. Richard Hambleton. ARTnews, New York Review 152 (October 1982)

Pages 6 & 7: Dolce, Joseph. Shadows: The enigmatic wall paintings of Richard Hambleton. Daily News M1 & M3 (January 4, 1983)

Page 7: Richard Hambleton Reception Invitation. (1982). New York, NY: Alexander F. Milliken Inc.

Page 8: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Shadow Man on Door). 1982. Mixed media on steel door. 99 x 31 inches (251.5 x 78.7 cm). Private Collection. New York, NY

Page 9: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Shadow Man, Jumper). 2009. Acrylic on canvas. 73.5 x 53.5 inches (186.7 x 135.9 cm). Private Collection. New York, NY

Page 10: Hambleton, Richard. Atlantic City. 1982. Acrylic on canvas. 90 x 52 inches (228.6 x 132.1 cm). Exhibited at Alexander Milliken Gallery, (See invite page 7). New York. Private Collection. New York

Page 11: Hambleton, Richard. Shadow Painting. ca 1980s. Acrylic on galvanized steel, 81 1/2 x 36 inches (207 x 91.4 cm). Hal Katzen Gallery. Private Collection New York, NY. Painted on front door of Cabrini Medical Center, 216 East 19 Street, and obtained by them.

Pages 12-13: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Halston Shadow Head(s)). 1983-1984. Acrylic on paper. 19.75 x 15 inches (50.2 x 38.1 cm). Private Collection, Harrison, NY.

Page 14: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Shadow Head)). 1983-1984. Acrylic on paper. 19.75 x 15 inches (50.2 x 38.1 cm). Private Collection, Harrison, NY.

Page 15: Hambleton, Richard. Teal and Copper Shadow Head. 1997. Metallic paint on board. 26 x 24 inches (66 x 61 cm). Exhibited by Dorian Grey Projects, New York. Private Collection, New York, NY

Page 16: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Silver Shadow Head). Ca. 1980s. Mixed media on paper. 21 x 14 inches (53.3 x 40.6 cm). Private Collection. New York

Page 17: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled. 1999. Acrylic on luan. 33.5 x 24.5 inches (85.1 x 62.2 cm). Courtesy of Richard Hambleton, New York. Private Collection, New York, NY

39 RICHARD HAMBLETON

Page 18: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Gold Shadow Head). ca. 2005-2010. Acrylic on canvas. 17.5 x 13.5 inches (44.5 x 34.3 cm). Private Collection. New York, NY

Page 19: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Shadow Painting #1). ca. 1989. Acrylic on graphic studio paper. 21 x 15 inches (53.3 x 38.1 cm). Private Collection. New York, NY

Page 20: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Shadow Painting #2). ca. 1989. Acrylic on graphic studio paper. 21 x 15 inches (53.3 x 38.1 cm). Private Collection. New York, NY

Page 21: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Shadow Painting #3). ca. 1989. Acrylic on graphic studio paper. 21 x 15 inches (53.3 x 38.1 cm). Private Collection. New York, NY

Page 22: O’Neal, Hank. Untitled (Aug 27). 1981. Chromogenic inkjet archival print. 20 x 24 inches (50.8 x 61 cm). Courtesy of the artist, Hank O’Neal to Dorian Grey Projects. New York, NY

Page 23: O’Neal, Hank. Shadow Man with Basquiat Tag. 1981. Chromogenic inkjet archival print. 23 x 17 inches (58.4 x 43.2 cm). Courtesy of the artist, Hank O’Neal, to Dorian Grey Projects. New York, NY

Page 23: O’Neal, Hank & Chris RWK. Shadow Man with Basquiat Tag. 2012. Mixed media collaboration over archival digital photo on canvas. 60 x 40 inches (152.4 x 101.6 cm). Courtesy of the artists, Hank O’Neal & Chris RWK to Dorian Grey Projects. New York, NY

Page 24: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Orange Rodeo Rider). 2005. Acrylic on canvas. 60 x 60 inches (152.4 x 152.4 cm). Private Collection. New York, NY

Page 25: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Frank’s Chop Shop/Rodeo Rider). 2016. Acrylic on canvas. 61 x 23 inches (157.5 x 50.8 cm). Private Collection. New York, NY

Page 26: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Small Rodeo Rider). 2003. Acrylic on canvas. 11 x 8.5 inches ( 27.9 x 21.6 cm). Exhibited at ACA Galleries, New York. Private Collection, New York, NY

Page 27: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Silver Rodeo Rider). 2012. acrylic on canvas. 106 x 67 inches (269.2 x 170.1 cm). Private Collection. New York

Page 28: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Purple Rodeo Rider). 2016. Acrylic on canvas. 40 x 30 inches (101.6 x 76.2 cm). Private Collection. New York, NY

Page 29: See Cover Details

Page 30: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Beautiful Painting). 2000. Acrylic and metal leaf on Masonite. 17.5 x 23.5 inches (44.5 x 59.7 cm). Private Collection. New York, NY

40 ILLUSTRATIONS

Page 31: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Green Mist). 1987. Oil on canvas and panel. 22 x 66 x 4 inches (55.9 x 167.6 x 5.1 cm). Exhibited at Grace Borgenicht Gallery, New York, NY. Private Collection, Los Angeles, CA.

Page 32: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Red Squares C738). 1987. Watercolor on paper. 17.88 x 23.81 inches (45.4 x 60.5 cm). Private Collection. Los Angeles, CA

Page 33: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Black Square C740). 1987. Watercolor on paper. 17.88 x 23.81 inches (45.4 x 60.5 cm). Private Collection. Los Angeles, CA

Page 34: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled. 1994. Blood on watercolor paper. 16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm). Private Collection. New York, NY

Page 35: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled. 1995. Blood on watercolor paper. 12 x 16 inches (30.5 x 40.6 cm). Private Collection. New York, NY

Page 36: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Tabletop). 1987. Mixed media on wood. 22 x 30 inches (55.9 x 76.2 cm) Douglas Abdell to Portico New York, Inc. (The artist has confirmed that this work is authentic)

Page 37: Lowy, Steven. Portrait of Richard Hambleton (in Front of Untitled, White Shadow Man Painting). ca. 1987 t0 1993. Copyright. Steven P Lowy. Courtesy of the artist. New York, NY

Page 38: Hambleton, Richard. Untitled (Red). 1984. Acrylic on canvas. 112.75 x 40.25 inches (286.4 x 102.9 cm). Site specific commission facilitated by Portico New York. Inc. to Private Collection. New York.

Back Cover: Hambleton, Richard. Peter (Shadow Head with Tie). 2017. Acrylic on canvas. 28 x 22 inches (71.1 x 55.9 cm). Private Collection. New York, NY

Note: If no exhibition or collection history is mentioned, the work was acquired directly from the artist by its current owner.

41 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Catalogue design by Mick Wieland

Photography by Steven Lowy and Portico New York staff

Copy-editing by Marina Belica

Special thanks to Chris Pusey for co-curating the exhibition

Thhis catalogue is a joint Portico New York and Dorian Grey Gallery publication

42 PORTICO NEW YORK INSTALLATION

43 516.244.4126 DORIANGREYGALLERY.COM [email protected]

Peter (Shadow Head with Tie), 2017 Acrylic on canvas, 28 x 22 inches

139 SPRING STREET, SUITE 2B NEW YORK, NY 10012 212.941.1444 PORTICONY.COM [email protected]