John Mellencamp: Life, Death, Love And Freedom Exhibit On View April 26th - June 2nd
John Mellencamp: Life, Death, Love, Freedom
On View: April 26 – June 2, 2018
New York, NY – We are pleased to announce contemporary artist John Mellencamp’s
new exhibition, Life,
Death, Love, Freedom, opening at ACA Galleries on April 26, 2018 in New York.
This is Mellencamp’s
second solo exhibition with the gallery, and will showcase two bodies of work:
Mellencamp’s sculptural
assemblages and series of portraits.
Heavily influenced by the German Expressionists, such as Otto Dix and Max
Beckmann, whose anguish over
human brutality and corruption speaks to his deep feelings about social justice,
Mellencamp’s imagery takes its
inspiration from the same sources as his music: the oppressive authority and
social struggles of the working
man and woman. But though that foundation is German, the evolved result is
decidedly American, with the
brash and snappy visual rhythms of our streets, lives, politics and passions.
An exhibition highlight is A Bed of Nails, 2017, dimly-rendered portrait of
American actor James Dean, the
canvas embedded with a grid of nails with a line of wire surrounding the nails
to frame the subject’s face.
Widely credited with influencing the development of rock and roll music, Dean –
like Mellencamp – was born in
Indiana and remains an iconic counter-cultural figure.
“Mellencamp paints handsomely grotesque portraits in oil that are as solemn and
stirring as his hit songs are
catchy and inspirational -- depicting existential scenes and human beings ridden
with the angst of the
everyday” notes critic Doug McClemont.
Another highlight is Jack of Hearts, a large-scale assemblage depicting the
Marlboro Man, common in
tobacco advertising campaigns the latter half of the Twentieth Century. Often
rendered as a rugged cowboy in
nature with a lit cigarette, the figure quickly became an iconic representation
of masculinity in America, as well
as an important trope within art history. A thick shadow at the top of the
painting suggests the brim of the
figure’s cowboy hat, on which sits four packs of American Spirit cases – and the
LIFE Magazine logo, while in
the bottom corner of the painting sits a jack of hearts from a deck of playing
cards.
John Mellencamp has exhibited his work in major galleries and museums across the
United States, including:
The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio; the Tennessee State
Museum, Nashville; The
Museum of Art – Deland, Florida; and the Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia.
Mellencamp lives and
works in Bloomington, Indiana.
About John Mellencamp
An acclaimed singer-songwriter and musician, John Mellencamp is also an
accomplished painter, collector and
long-time activist. Mellencamp started painting at an early age, influenced by
his mother, also an artist.
Mellencamp had his formal training at the Arts Student League in New York, where
he discovered the work of
Twentieth-Century Modernists. As his musical career flourished, Mellencamp began
to paint earnestly in the
1970s with an early affinity for portraiture influenced by the works of Otto Dix
and Max Beckmann. He is a
member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a Grammy winner, recipient of The
Woody Guthrie Award, the
John Steinbeck Award, ASCAP Foundation's Champion Award, the Americana Music
Association's Lifetime
Achievement Award, the Founders Award, and co-founder of Farm Aid – a nonprofit
organization whose
mission is to keep family farmers on the land. Mellencamp lives and works in
Bloomington, Indiana.
www.mellencamp.com | @johnmellencamp
About ACA Galleries
American Contemporary Art Gallery (ACA) was established in 1932 by Herman Baron.
Artists Stuart Davis,
Yasuo Kuniyoshi and Adolf Dehn were early members. At the time, ACA was one of
only three galleries in New
York primarily dedicated to exhibiting the work of American artists. For over 80
years, ACA has supported
artists in diverse disciplines with singular points of view. The gallery has
presented over 800 exhibitions and
published over 400 books and catalogues. ACA continues its tradition of
featuring artists whose talent
transcends their nationality, race or gender by presenting monthly exhibitions,
organizing traveling exhibitions,
both nationally and internationally, and working closely with museums and
private collectors to build
collections. Today ACA continues to break new ground by representing and
exhibiting distinguished artists and
estates. The artistic and humanitarian mission of the gallery still endures, and
ACA is committed to upholding
this tradition by continuing to support artists from around the world in their
commitment to make significant and
brave contributions to the field. www.acagalleries.com | @acagalleries1932
Address
529 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
t: 212-206-8080
Hours
Tuesday – Saturday: 10.30am – 6pm
Sunday – Monday: By Appointment Only