Richard Hambleton: Mr Wonderful

Richard Hambleton: Mr Fantastic
2nd February 2023 – 28th February 2023
Woodbury Household
29 Sackville Road
Mayfair
W1S 3DX

Artist Richard Hambleton, aka “The Shadowman“, was the mastermind powering the mysterious, dim and enigmatic road art he embellished across New York in the 1980s. Normally referred to as the “Godfather of Road art” and some say the originator of the Graffiti silhouette figure, Hambleton was a person of the pioneers of New York’s artwork scene alongside legendary artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and quite a few others from this celebrated period.

“Mr Wonderful”, a new exhibition at London’s affluent Woodbury House, characteristics large-scale, beforehand unseen performs by Hambleton, like his ominous “Shadowmen,” “Horse and Rider” figures and the exhibition’s focal place, “Mr Wonderful”.

Hambleton was regarded for his graffiti artwork, but he thought of himself a conceptual artist who made both of those general public and gallery items. His early public performs “Image Mass Murder” series from 1976 to 1978, exactly where he drew law enforcement chalk outlines around volunteer “victims” splashing crimson paint, symbolizing blood and the human spirit, creating them really unforgettable. He painted these “crime scenes” on the streets of 15 towns throughout the United States and Canada.

Hambleton’s “Shadowman” paintings are some of his most well-known and very well-regarded parts. These sinister figures, which arise from Hambleton’s explosive use of paint, lurked in the dark alleys and walkways of New York City, an eerie and exhilarating signifier of danger and exhilaration.

Hambleton travelled the U.S. and Canada right before settling in New York in 1979. During the 1980s, tagging Decrease Manhattan alleyways, eventually transitioning from the road to the studio, generating works on canvas and paper. Despite participating in the Venice Biennale in the 1980s, Hambleton was neglected by the art world in the 90s and early 2000s thanks to his struggles with health issues and habit.

In 2010, Hambleton roses from the ashes with new performs in a appear-again exhibition Richard Hambleton New York ‘The godfather of street art’ curated by Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld and sponsored by Georgio Armani.

On April 21, 2017, Shadowman, directed by Oren Jacoby, premiered at the Tribeca Movie Pageant, chronicling his increase to fame in the New York art globe as perfectly as his struggle with drug addiction. Hambleton died on Oct 29, 2017, of most cancers at age 65. Nowadays, Hambleton’s function can be identified in personal and institutional collections and performs noticeably effectively at auction.

Richard Hambleton’s Mr Great presents the prospect to get up shut and particular with Hambleton’s oeuvre and get in some historic road artwork.

Richard Hambleton’s Mr Wonderful is on till the 28th of February, 2023, at Woodbury Residence.

©2023 Richard Hambleton, Woodbury Home

Artwork Plugged is a contemporary system encouraged by a romance with the broader arts communities. We offer our audience with curated perception into the planet of artwork, from exhibitions to artist interviews and a lot more.