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Reserve your spot for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear world-renowned American post-pop artist Jeff Koons speak about the influence Salvador Dali (who’s Late Work exhibition is currently on view at the High) had on his work. A cocktail reception will follow the lecture.
Art Nouveau Magazine and artist GreatEclectic present “Super Pop!” opening this Thursday, Aug 5th at WM Turner Gallery. The show will feature 15 artists paying homage to the pop art genre and will accompany Art Nouveau Magazine’s Super Pop Summer Issue, which will defend the popular culture in music, art, and fashion.
You can also Watch the Video featuring the Super Pop commercial as well for a preview of the artists works that will be showcased.
With the tragic death of renowned pop artist Robert Rauschenberg two years ago came a complete halt on the market for his works. Auction houses, galleries, and private owners held the sale of Rauschenberg’s art in every medium (screenprints and lithographs included) out of respect for the artist’s estate and the market value for his pieces. So when I ventured into Peters Street Gallery in Castleberry a few weeks ago and saw some of the Pop icon’s most famous screenprints for sale, I was shocked, surprised, and completely excited that an Atlanta-based gallery would carry works of this caliber.
The print market has nearly doubled in auction sales revenue in the 21st century as collectors began to discover the medium as a more affordable way to purchase fine art. The limited edition screenprint is a respectable alternative to a reprint of an image, known notoriously in the art world as a simulacrum. Kudos to Peters Street Gallery for bringing Rauschenberg to the Atlanta market.
Flaps (Marrakitch), 2000: 12 color screenprint, edition of 62
The Panelists
Artist Greg Mike is quickly becoming Atlanta’s surveyor of the Pop Art scene. His recently founded Old Forth Ward gallery ABV (A Better View) just featured a unique “Panelists” exhibition , which was a group show featuring 16 artists who each created a mixed media piece as part of two 8′ comic book pages (see AVB home page for the list of artists). Their collaborative creations together formed one unified, larger-than-life comic book story, complete with an alien abduction, a villain, and a damsel in distress – all the makings of a quintessential comic.
MATS!?
Just as Roy Lichtenstein stormed the 60’s with his revolutionary comic book art with onomatopoeia titles such as POW! and WHAAM!, this panel of artists is bringing the style back into the 21st century with the same enthusiasm. The artist known as Mats!? especially mimics Lichtenstein’s style with his use Ben-Day dots (which I applaud!) and the femme fatale heroine. The one question to consider is that if the comic movement was done in the 1960’s by one of America’s most beloved Pop artists, can it be done again with the same magnitude and following? Like a remake of your favorite song, you may feel a bit disappointed while the younger generation accepts it as a brand new trend.
If Greg Mike has any control over the Pop art comeback, he’s ready to bring it to the young hipsters in full throttle. His ABV is located in the pavilion at Studioplex in the Historic Martin Luther King Jr. District of Atlanta, and The Panelists’ comic book is currently on display .
Dennis Hopper, Fractured Girl
As America mourns the death of big screen film star Dennis Hopper, I want to bring to light what most people didn’t know about the actor; Dennis Hopper was a prolific and successful Pop artist who was well on his way into receiving an inaugural show at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in L. A. before his death. He began his artistic career by taking photographs in the 1960’s, and turned to abstract impressionistic painting later in his career. He was represented by well known Los Angeles and Beverly Hills dealers such as the David Lawrence and Ace Galleries. Be on the look-out for Hopper’s retrospective show at the L. A. MOCA in months to come. Click here to see some of his photographs and paintings.
As I mentioned last week, Atlanta’s own Steve Penley opened up his home and studio in Carrollton, GA to interested High Museum Art Partner members and their guests who wanted to learn more about the artist and see where he lives and works. Best known for his paintings of historical icons, Penley has become one of America’s most popular artists. Penley’s development as an artist has culminated with a unique style of bold color, strong brush strokes and a love of Pop Art. With a new series of limited edition lithographs coming out in the fall, which will be sold nationwide, expect to see more of the artist and possibly own a piece of your own.
Penley’s studio occupied the top floor of his Country Club home, which he shares with his wife and three kids. Unfortunately, the paint rarely stays upstairs; the couches, carpet, remote control, etc. all bear a touch of a Penley original. Penley treated his guests with a painting demonstration of his famous flower arrangements. Here are some of the photo highlights:
Painting demonstration (one of his adorable daughters to the right!)
Steve Penley Studio
In my profession I come across countless pieces of art, either in person or through research. Today I found this painting by Canadian artist Paul Béliveau at the Winsor Gallery in Vancouver, and I absolutely LOVE IT.
Les rencontres LXXV, Acrylic on Canvas 2009
Béliveau’s trompe l’oeil technique “fools” the viewer into believing they are actually looking at a stack of books (Tome=Volume in French) and not a one dimensional painting. The top volume pays homage to Lichtenstein using his crying comic heroine’s eyes, the bottom to Warhol using Marilyn’s eyes… very clever and brilliant, and a great homage to Pop Art.
Finally… an answer to Atlanta’s recycling problem.
The brilliantly titled exhibition “Popstars and Cokeheads” at Kai Lin Gallery featured an army of 100 hand-painted soda pop cans resurrected into “Mad Can” characters, a playfully sinister cast of unique and eye-catching creatures created by Greg Mike. Judging by the amount of Pabst Blue Ribbon cans being served up to Midtown crowd that evening, I was doubtful that the painted cans were concealing Coca-Cola or “pop” labels at all… nevertheless, as the playfully punning title suggested, it was a Pop Art show indeed.
Creating a fun twist on pop art, Greg Mike transformed the cans into ready-made three dimensional pieces of art. Each can portrayed a different comical character and expression. There were one-eyed aliens, toothy monsters, a doctor with a surgeon mask, a 70’s icon with a handlebar mustache and a sweatband, a yellow droopy-eyed character with its tongue dangling about, and even recognizable superhero cans. They were all bright, goofy, and unique… not entirely pleasing to the eye, but a quintessential depiction of modern “street” pop art culture with a sense of humor.
The Popstar and Cokehead characters were not limited to soda cans (or the crowd). They were painted on large barrels and snow boards and copied on prints and T-shirts and spread about the gallery, where the walls were painted bright neon colors to showcase the collection. The highlight of the exhibition was the Warhol-esque stack of boxes adorned with Greg Mike’s signature “Loud Mouth character” placed in the center, clearly representing the Pop Art nature of the show and paying homage to the King of Pop himself (think Brillo Pad Boxes, circa 1964).
Inspired by the graffiti and skater scenes of New York City, Greg Mike’s art is a bona fide representation of the 80’s punk rock and “street art” era. His signature “Loud Mouth” character, a snaggle-toothed mouth image trimmed in blue, came out of his graffiti days and found its way on the beer koozies carried by all and the stickers passed out as souvenirs. Popstars and Cokeheads will be on display at the Kai Lin Gallery until March 6th. The cans sell for $150 each. Would you add one of Greg Mike’s cans to your collection?
