Image:Courtesy of Hank O’Neal
Elusive New York artist Richard Hambleton will be the subject of an exhibition featuring 45 works, 15 never before seen, by Hambleton at the Armani/ Teatro in Milan, following the highly successful New York exhibition in September 2009. The exhibition will be curated by Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld and Andy Valmorbida with an opening reception on Thursday, February 25th, in collaboration with Giorgio Armani.
Giorgio Armani says: “I have long been a fan of Richard Hambleton, so when the opportunity to host this exhibition presented itself, I felt I simply had to find a home for it in my hometown. Richard’s work is of the streets, and for me stands as a reminder that art in all its forms is first and foremost driven by individual passion and creativity.”
Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld and Andy Valmorbida say: “Richard Hambleton’s brush stroke as an artist is genius and is in a league of its own. Most significantly, he is the most important and influential living street artist in the world today, with a story and career that is unparalleled. It is also a privilege for us to collaborate again with Giorgio Armani and we are pleased to present it in such a prestigious space.”
The Artist
Richard Hambleton rose to fame in the early 1980’s when like his contemporaries, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, he used the streets of New York as his canvas for visually arresting public art, most notably his “Shadowman” and “Crime Scene” series. Hambleton has been labelled ‘The Godfather of Street Art’.
The last surviving member of the East Village Art Movement, Hambleton saw what fame and drug use did to his close friends, and for the last 20 years has led a relatively reclusive life on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Despite a low public profile, Hambleton has continued to create and his works can be found in the permanent collections of The MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum, The Houston Museum of Fine Art, The Check Point Charlie Museum and The Zellermeyer in Berlin, the Andy Warhol Museum, the Austin Museum of Art, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, the Queens Museum, and Harvard University. He was chosen for the Venice Biennale in 1984.
The Exhibition
The Richard Hambleton Exhibition will be open to the public for two weeks, from March 1st to March 12th, following the opening night reception on February 25th, 2010. During that time the gallery at the Armani/ Teatro in Milan will be open Monday to Friday from 10am to 7pm. Of the 45 pieces, 30 works (including 15 never before seen works) will be for sale.
Feedback Ltd., a private art dealership founded by Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld, works primarily with emerging talents to promote and produce their shows and provide a platform for them to sell their art. Vladimir produced his first show with his company Feedback Ltd. for artist Marco Perego in Paris in 2008. He followed with a show of works by David Mushegain, PC Valmorbida and Salim Langatta in 2009 and an exhibition of works by Richard Hambleton with Andy Valmorbida, in collaboration with Giorgio Armani, both in New York. In November 2009 Restoin Roitfeld curated emerging French artist Nicolas Pol’s first US show on the Lower East Side in New York. This will be Vladimir’s fifth exhibition.
Valmorbida & Co. is a private art dealership founded by Andrew Valmorbida in 2006 to provide consultation and access to highly sought after works from both up and coming artists, leading contemporary artists and established blue chip artists. These artists allow the team at Valmorbida & Co. to assist collectors in their search for quality and also to foster to foster that relationship as their collection develops.
The Richard Hambleton Exhibition is open to the public:
March 1 to March 12, 2010
Monday – Friday from 10am to 7pm
ARMANI / TEATRO
Via Bergognone 59
20144 Milano
