339

Arch Connelly

1950-1993

Self Portrait. 1980.

Mixed Media with sequins and glitter on linen canvas
Signed, titled and dated Oct. 13, 1980 in graphite, verso.
20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm.)

  • Provenance: Gift from the artist.
    Private collection, New York.

    Arch Connelly received a bachelor's degree in 1973 from Southern Illinois University, where he majored in ceramics. He lived in San Francisco until 1980, when he moved to New York City. His first solo show was at Artists Space in TriBeCa in 1980. In 1981, he had the first of four solo shows at the Fun Gallery on East 10th Street.

    Connelly was best known for his jewel-encrusted wall reliefs, paintings, and freestanding sculpture. Embellished without restraint, "to the max," his work achieved an elegant, surreal quality. He is most associated with the Pattern and Decoration movement. Artists such as Joyce Kozloff and Robert Kushner, among others, explored a decorative aesthetic of the mid-1970s, in stark contrast to the popular minimalist and conceptual schools of the time.

    A similar work, Self-Portrait, 1981, is in the collection of MoMA, an oval canvas of embellished acrylic and faux pearls on canvas, in which the artist describes himself through embellishment and beauty.

    Also, a nod to the American Pop Art movement, his use of embellishment was a language that symbolized socio-political commentary. Along with other East Village artists, Keith Haring, David Wojnarowicz, Nicholas Moufarrege, and Martin Wong, Arch Connolly was part of an explicitly gay art movement.

    He has exhibited in New York at Artists Space, White Columns, Fun Gallery, Holly Solomon Gallery, Wessel/O'Connor Ltd., and Castelli Graphics. His work has also been shown internationally: in Japan, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Italy.
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