Dallas Contemporary will drop a new print by renowned Pop artist Richard Phillips at noon today (CT), August 10. Phillips will launch his work nuclear (1997) as a fine print edition for the very first time. The work was originally exhibited as part of the artist’s first solo American museum show at Dallas Contemporary in 2014, and is also the cover of his first monograph, published by Rizzoli. The 27 x 35.5-inch print can be purchased unsigned for $400 or signed for $750, not including shipping. This edition will include 1000 prints and 10 rare artist proofs.
Dallas Contemporary’s executive director Peter Doroshenko says of the drop, “It is notable that Richard Phillips has donated his time and energy to create a limited-edition print to support Dallas Contemporary.”
Phillips is known for his subjection of popular images to a range of classical, painterly techniques. His photorealistic works recast images of politicians, supermodels, and pop icons as subversive to the seductive and idealistic aesthetics of advertising.
States Doroshenko: “Richard has been on the board of trustees for seven years and during that time has contributed in many ways to make the museum the recognized leader for contemporary art. For the past thirty plus years, Richard’s artwork has pushed art boundaries and we are thrilled to be working with him on this unique opportunity.”
PATRON caught up with Phillips about his generous gift here:
PATRON: Why did you select “Nuclear” for this special drop?
Richard Phillips: I selected Nuclear 1997 for the print because of the ongoing history this painting image has had with my relationship to Dallas, Texas, and Dallas Contemporary. First shown in 1997 at Turner and Runyon Gallery in Deep Ellum, this painting later returned to Dallas for my survey show at the museum. The painting is also the cover image for my first monograph with Rizzoli that was published after the exhibition. Originally a cosmetics advertisement, the Nuclear title refers to the radiant solarized effect of an imagined radioactive landscape referencing the nuclear activity present in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958. The intention was to represent spectacular beauty in painting, while implying heavy undertones of geopolitical conflict and lasting damage to the environment.
PATRON: How has your subject matter and painterly technique evolved since 1997?
RP: Since Nuclear, my painting has evolved beyond large-scale fashion images to take on subjects that are drawn from found imagery and that deal with the marketability of man, his wishes, ideas, actions, identity, sexuality, politics, and desires. These images have been translated from drawings and then painted through a traditional oil painting process. In doing so, I try to makes use of and manipulate the iconic quality of pictures, which the media and art use daily–each according to its own agenda.
PATRON: What made you choose Dallas Contemporary to contribute your time, energy, and art-star status to a Dallas museum?
RP: In 1997, Turner and Runyon gallery gave me my second solo exhibition, following my first show in New York. Ever since then, I have always felt a close affinity to the Dallas community and remain grateful for that early opportunity and their support since. In 2014, I was invited by Executive Director Peter Doroshenko to join the board of the Dallas Contemporary on the heels of my survey exhibition. Having previously followed and then worked with the museum closely, I became acutely aware of the importance of the work that Dallas Contemporary was doing in advancing the exhibition of and conversation surrounding contemporary art on the local, national, and international levels. I accepted the invitation with the intention to bring my experience and energy to positively contribute to this evolving project. I have been honored to serve on the board during an important period of growth and serious effort. My intention for this edition is to reflect on and pay respect to an institution that I believe has been doing some of the finest work in the art world.
Print sales will benefit Dallas Contemporary’s mission to present visionary contemporary art to North Texas and support the upcoming openings of four exhibitions this September: Peter Halley: CELL GRIDS; Ilya & Emilia Kabakov: Paintings about Paintings; Shilpa Gupta’s installation For, In Your Tongue, I Cannot Fit: 100 Jailed Poets; and Renata Morales: inane and mundane evolutionary tales of fear love and horror.