Jonathan Adler is delighted to announce an exhibit of works by New York artist Trey Speegle. Using one of the world’s largest collections of vintage paint-by-number paintings as raw source material, Trey draws inspiration from them as a “visual vocabulary.”
A former magazine art director for such publications as Vogue, Vanity Fair, Allure and Us Weekly, Trey uses his considerable skills to “elevate the oft-derided genre” with wit and word play. Speegle explore themes of love, hope longing and loss by using banal phrases, affirmations and double entendre that play to a broad Pop appeal.
Jonathan Adler is happy to have exhibited Speegle works throughout the US over the past several years, to great reception and is looking for- ward to introducing the artist’s latest work to Londoners. Trey’s last visit to the UK was to col- laborate with Stella McCartney on an 18 X 32’ backdrop, YES, created for her Spring 2010 collection, shown in Paris.
Trey inherited his collection from the late comedy writer SNL co- creator, Michael O’Donoghue. O’Donoghue had some 200 of them, which Speegle helped to to organize and exhibit and after Michael’s untimely passing, his widow, Cheryl Hardwick gave the collection to Trey. The col- lection was added to and fea- tured in the paint by number retrospective held in Washington at the Smithsomian Museum of American Art in 2001. Today, Trey has upwards of 3000 vintage paint by number paintings and kits but has “honestly lost track.”
This exhibit has an odd synchronicity. Sixty years ago, in 1952, paint-by-number paint- ings were introduced in the US and became a phenomenon, selling 18 million kits in the first year alone. At the same time HRH Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne.
In honor of this double celebra- tion, Trey has created a new portrait using as inspiration, the rarest paint-by-number, the young Queen Elizabeth which had its debut in 1954. As he so often does, text was added to reveal the architecture of the painting, as well as comment on it simultaneously.
“The most coveted paint-by-number is of Queen Elizabeth, the young Queen. I don’t own an original… I’ve only seen pictures of it… it’s sort of the bigfoot of the genre. I once being filmed for a documentary and was bidding live in auction for one on eBay… I bid it up to $5000, believe it or not before the clock ran out and I lost out…. I wanted it THAT badly.”
“Years ago, my good friend Kate O’Toole (daughter of THE Peter) had told me that Spy magazine had made up nicknames for all of the royals and that the Queen’s was ‘Brenda’. That stuck with me, so when this exhibit was proposed, I had to figure out a way to paint her portait. It means no disrespect, in fact, it seems that, by design, the addition of the nickname puts her closer to her public by assuming a com- mon identity.”
The exhibit also contains several pieces created especially for Adler like; TV LOVE, 2008-2012 (Batman loves Robin, Spock loves Kirk, Donny loves Marie, Fonzie loves Richie, Mork loves Mindy) using rare vintage kits of popular American TV shows.
“I’ve known Jonathan for years and I love showing with him for several reasons…
1.) …the work always looks great seen with Adler’s colorful, chic creations.
2.) … my work is on display somewhere every day of the week, as opposed to a gallery show which lasts typically a month, and then it’s gone.
3) … bringing art into a context people appreciate and under- stand; the home… which is where most work that you love ends up. … next to your bed or over the couch. Hopefully not in the loo.”
Trey’s work can be found in a wide variety of collections includ- ing The Micrsoft Art Collection, singer Jason Mraz and Jonathan Adler. He is represented in New York by Benrimon Contemporary and has a solo exhibit open- ing there in September 2012. bcontemporary.com.
The exhibit runs through August 31, 2012.
CONTACT:
Jonathan Adler 60 SLOANE AVE. LONDON, UK 207.589.9563
Trey Speegle mobile – 917.405.8551 http://www.treyspeegle.com
