Hans Belmer

Hans Bellmer (1902-1975) was a surrealist sculptor/photographer. He's known for his dolls, which he started constructing in 1932.

I think we can all tell who was seriously inspired by Hans Belmer – Devo!!

George Sowden

George J. Sowden is an English designer who was a participant (with Ettore Sottsass and others) in the 1980's Memphis art and design movement. In 1981 he started Sowden Design, through which he has collaborated with Alessi, Bodum, Steelcase, Swatch, et al.

I like his drawings/plans; the cities are especially of interest to me because they remind me of some of the drawings I would make as a child. I guess it's kind of funny, but I liked to draw a series of pastel post-modern Memphis-style strip malls. Of course I knew nothing of the academic aspect of Memphis style (or even what it was called) but I was certainly able to recognize it, and I was enamored even then.

Philippe Morillon Wallpaper

Philippe Morillon is a French painter, photographer, and art director who has created some fantastic wallpapers illustrating his favorite art-world buddies. I am 100% in love with them; they're so funny and weird and pretty and perfect.

In the 70's, he created super-glamorous depictions of the Paris party scene (featured earlier on this blog), featuring socialites and celebrities that were part of his crew. Andy Warhol wrote the forward for his 1982 book of art, Ultra Lux.

Loulou & Pierre (Loulou de la Falaise and Pierre Bergé)

Wallpaper Diane de B. (Diane de Beauvau-Craon)

Fred & Co. (Fred Hughes)

Andy's Twist (Andy Warhol)

Wallpaper Inès de la Fressange

Wallpaper, 2013

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Philippe Morillon's wallpapers are being shown May 14 through June 07, 2014 at Galerie du Passage, 20/26, galerie Véro-Dodat 75001, Paris

Jessica Harrison

These charming porcelain figurines are by British artist Jessica Harrison. On first glance they seem perfectly nice, but a closer look makes me laugh.

Grace, 2010. Detail below

Karen, 2010. Detail below.

Marilyn, 2010. Detail

Robert Heinecken: Recto/Verso

Below are a few selections of a late-80's portfolio of work called Recto/Verso by Robert Heinecken, which explores themes of female sexuality and media messages.

Heinecken (1931-2006) was a multi-media artist best known for his assemblage of found imagery. 
Though his work appears to be done with film, he's not exactly a photo-collage artist; he used techniques that were quite a bit more analog (though I suppose film could be considered pretty analog these days!)

A note from the publisher of the collection about Heinecken's method: "The Recto/Verso photograms were made without the use of camera or film. A single page from a mass-circulation magazine was placed in direct contact with color photographic paper and exposed to light. The resulting image superimposes the visual and verbal information from the front and back of the magazine page. No collage, manipulation, or other handwork was employed."

The Recto/Verso portfolio is available through Vincent Borrelli, in case you happen to see it on my Christmas wish list.

I've been a fan of double-negative imagery ever since I had a faulty camera as a child. I received a pleasant surprise when my shots came back from the developer looking totally psychedelic.

(This post was originally posted on 04-20-11. I republished it because the MoMA is presenting a  Heinecken exhibition right now, through September 07, 2014, titled Object Matter)

Daniel Horowitz

Daniel Horowitz is an mixed media artist whose surrealist illustrations are used in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, GQ, as well as texts published by Random House and Knopf. He also illustrates the covers for The American Reader.

 All "Drawing of the Day" illustrations below come from Horowitz's book 365 Drawing, which chronicles the year with one drawing per day, and printed in an edition of 365.

 

Drawing of the Day 282

Drawing of the Day 361

Drawing of the Day 152

Drawing of the Day 158

Drawing of the Day 275

Umbrella

Drawing of the Day 310

Andrea Zucchi, Doppio Gioco - Appropriazioni & Astrazioni

Below are some works that were part of Milanese artist Andrea Zucchi's exhibition Doppio Giocco - 

 Appropriazioni & Astrazioni (Double Play - Appropriation & Abstractions), curated by Sergio Risaliti. It showed at 

the Stelline Foundation in Milan earlier this year.

The paintings are a surreal, psychedelic re-appropriation of 19th century photographs, either well-known on their own, or featuring well-known figures, offering a familiar but other-worldly recognition of the imagery.

See the originals after the jump.

Contessa Lucia Amman

She was the mother of style icon, Marchesa Luisa Casati, an Italian-Austrian heiress who was quite a celebrity during the first half of the 20th century. They had an interesting family history that's worth reading up on.

La Denuncia Segreta (by Vincenzo Giacomelli, 1880), 2011

La Lettura (by Olympe Aguado, 1863), 2012

Giuseppe Garibaldi (da Fratelli Alinari, 1870), 2010
 

Garibaldi was an Italian politician who was appointed General by the provisional government of Milan in 1848 and General of the Roman Republic in 1849 by the Minister of War.
 

Opened in 1956, the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum in Staten Island celebrates Italian-American heritage and culture. It was his residence from 1851-1853, and is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Andre DaLoba

I love the bold style and colors of these illustrations by Spanish-born and Brooklyn-based artist Andre DaLoba. There are many, many more to look at, as well as some sculptural pieces. He is represented by the Marlena Agency.

Contemporary Aboriginal Painting

Rhythm and color is what I like!

George Tjungurrayi, Untitled (Tingari)

Lucy Loomoo Nungurrayi, Untitled

Josephine Nangala, Untitled

Ronnie Tjampitjinpa, Water Dreaming

 Lucy Loomoo Nungurrayi, Karnaputta (Woman's Law)

CoBrA

The CoBrA artists' movement was established in Paris, but its name is an acronym of Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam; the cities from where the founders hailed. The highly collaborative group banded together in 1948 and was active until 1951, though the members still occasionally work together even today.

Considered to be an offshoot of surrealism, CoBrA sought to recapture the whimsy and naive spirit of children's art, creating subconscious renderings of imagined creatures. They welcomed poets to their group to collaborate equally on paintings, mixed media pieces, books, and periodicals.

The key figures in CoBra are Karel Appel, Hugo Claus, Pierre Alechinsky, Constant Anton Niuwenhuys, Christian Dotremont, Asger Jorn, and Jean-Michel Atlan.

There is a museum dedicated to the movement in Amstelveen, Netherlands called Cobra Museum of Modern Art

Series of 15 book covers, 1950.  

De Blijde en Onvoorziene Week (The Joyful and Unexpected Week), Karel Appel and Hugo Claus, 1950

L'Oie Belge (The Belgian Goose), Pierre Alechinsky and Hugo Claus, 1980

More about CoBrA
Underground Arts: The COBRA Group