ICONIC: FIGURES IN THE MODERN WORLD
ICONIC is a captivating group exhibition that delves into the timeless allure of the human form. Featuring a diverse range of styles and mediums, the show brings together renowned artists who offer their unique interpretations of the iconic figure.
From the classical to the contemporary, ICONIC showcases a stunning array of works, including paintings, sculptures, collages, multimedia pieces, and digital art. The exhibition highlights the work of acclaimed artists such as Jebah Baum, Allan Bealy, David Barnett, Elizabeth de Bethune, Chris X Carroll, Michael Cuomo, David Dixon, Robert Jessell, David Edward Johnson, Kim Hamburg, Emmanuelle Hernandez, Mark Kurdziel, Richard Pitts, Librado Romero, Kevin Scorgie, Sean Taggart, and Dale Williams.
A special highlight of the exhibition is a curated selection of iconic portraits by renowned editorial photographer Chris X Carroll. Having captured countless celebrities for publications like Rolling Stone and Spin, Carroll's lens has the power to reveal the human essence behind the public persona. ICONIC features portraits of legendary figures such as Iggy Pop, Run DMC, Jasper Johns, and Flav-o-Flav, offering viewers a glimpse into their unique identities.
Join us to experience the power and beauty of the human form, reimagined through the eyes of these talented artists.
OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday, November 14th, 6pm - 9pm
GALLERY HOURS: Wednesdays 3pm - 6pm | Thursdays 6pm - 9pm | Saturdays 12pm - 4pm
Interested in purchasing artwork from ICONIC?
Curator
BEVERLY KARNELL
YOHO Artist. Sarah Lawrence Graduate. Masters in Fine Art.
Incredibly proud to showcase the artists featured.
JEBAH BAUM
Jebah Baum, painter, sculptor, and printmaker, is a long-time resident of the Hudson Valley and exhibits his artwork regularly in the U.S. and abroad.
ALLAN BEALY
Allan Bealy (b. 1951, Montreal, CA) is a Canadian artist, art director and graphic designer who now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. In the 80s, Allan was co-publisher of Benzene, an arts magazine and has had several books of his collages published, most recently: Tokens by Red Fox Press in 2023. He has had solo shows in Canada, Sweden and the United States and has been represented in numerous group shows. Allan’s practice now focuses on collage and mixed media, as well as continuing to publish, occasionally, under the Benzene Editions banner.
DAVID BARNETT
David Barnett creates intricate collages and sculptures that blend found objects with handmade elements. His work explores the historical tension between nature and industry, often incorporating vintage imagery, mechanical components, and natural materials. Through unexpected juxtapositions, Barnett evokes a sense of wonder and mystery, inviting the viewer to discover hidden narratives within his creations. With a focus on flight, anatomy, and mechanics, Barnett's work challenges traditional notions of beauty and function.
Barnett has a rich history of teaching and lecturing at renowned institutions such as Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, and the School of Visual Arts. He has also served as a guest lecturer at various art schools, design conferences, and galleries, sharing his expertise with a wide audience. Additionally, Barnett has held residencies at international programs, further enriching his artistic practice.
ELIZABETH DE BETHUNE
Elizabeth de Bethune is a queer painter residing in Yonkers, New York. With degrees from Yale University and SUNY Purchase, and experience at renowned institutions like the New York Studio School and Women’s Studio Workshop, de Bethune has honed her skills in representational and figurative painting. Her work has been exhibited in various galleries and museums, including recent solo shows at the Rye Art Center and the White Plains Public Library Museum Gallery. Currently, Elizabeth De Bethune’s work is featured in group exhibitions at the Bristol Art Museum, Yonkers Riverfront Library Art Gallery, and Upstream Gallery.
CHRIS X. CARROLL
From 1985-1995 Chris X Carroll inhabited the beating heart of culture in downtown New York City. Luminaries of hip hop, art and politics sat for Chris’ camera. After inventing the cross processing technique he employed it photographing such subjects as Iggy Pop, Jasper Johns, Run-DMC, Public Enemy and Sandra Day O’Connor. A disparate group, united by Carroll’s ability to use humor and humanity to peel away masks and reveal the luminous being within.
MICHAEL CUOMO
Born in the Bronx in 1974, Michael Cuomo discovered his artistic talent in 2002. He transitioned from crayons to oil painting, exploring various techniques. Cuomo's art blends intuition and learning, reflecting his spiritual journey. His creative process involves channeling higher energies and expressing universal truths. Committed to sharing his passion, Cuomo teaches art to seniors and children, believing in the transformative power of art. His long-term goal is to establish a center for creative learning.
DAVID DIXON
David Dixon is a multi-faceted artist whose work explores a range of themes and styles. Their paintings, drawings, and digital art evoke emotions and tell stories of history, dreams, and personal experiences. As a realist portrait artist, they capture the essence of their subjects, particularly jazz musicians, conveying their energy and spirit. Dixon also explores abstraction, drawing inspiration from West African textiles and their personal experiences. Their work often incorporates elements of surrealism and dreamlike imagery.
ROBERT JESSEL
Robert Jessel is a contemporary figurative painter whose work reflects the world at large. His paintings, executed in acrylic and oil, explore still life, portraits, and landscapes. Jessel's work is characterized by a reliance on formal painterly connections. His portrait "Steve" exemplifies this approach, capturing a friend's essence through a straightforward viewpoint and stylized spatial illusion. Influenced by modernist masters like Matisse and Picasso, Jessel reinvents representational painting in a new and expressive way.
DAVID EDWARD JOHNSON
David Edward Johnson is a mixed-media visual artist whose work draws inspiration from the rhythmic, esoteric, mystic, poetic, and intuitive. Their canvases often delve into the sublime, inner spaces, and American identity. With a background in writing and design, Johnson infuses their abstract work with conceptual and visual language. Their art explores belief systems, the American Dream, desire, identity, and loss, blending the organic, geometric, iconic, abstract, and found into large-scale assemblages. Their work has been exhibited at the Everson Museum of Art and featured in various publications and exhibitions.
KIM HAMBURG
Kim Hamburg is a self-taught mixed media collage artist residing in the foothills of the Ozarks. Her artistic journey commenced during the Covid lockdown, where she turned to collage as a mode of self-expression. Drawing on her background as a science teacher, Hamburg embraces experimentation and has developed unique techniques, including a custom adhesive mix and innovative methods for creating transparent papers.
EMMANUELLE HERNANDEZ
Emmanuelle Hernandez is a French-American self-taught collagist based in Yonkers, NY. She primarily finds her materials in magazine pages, stand-alone flyers, mail pieces, and packaging. She experiments with abstract subjects, but her main interest resides in depicting the human figure in challenging environments. Her inspiration comes from world news, local concerns, and social justice. Her work has been displayed at local businesses, at the Riverfront Art Gallery, and at the Blue Door Art Center as the 2024 Black History Month challenge winner.
MARK KURDZIEL
Mark Kurdziel's artistic journey spans over 40 years. He was immersed in the vibrant downtown Figurative art scene of 80s Chelsea and has continued to thrive in Downtown Jersey City. Influenced by the Bauhaus and School of Paris movements, as well as Japanese, Persian, and Indian painting traditions, Kurdziel's work showcases a rich tapestry of styles. He has been sharing his knowledge as a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology since 1994 and exhibits widely in the Tri-State Area and South Korea.
RICHARD PITTS
Richard Pitts, born to a military family, traveled extensively throughout the United States before settling in New Jersey. After graduating from Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts and Pratt Institute, he was mentored by renowned artists Reuben Kadish and Ernie Briggs. Pitts has exhibited his paintings and sculptures nationally and has taught at various institutions, including the Kansas Art Institute and the Fashion Institute of Technology. He has held leadership roles in artist-run spaces like Artist Choice Museum and NOHO/M55 Gallery. Currently, he resides in rural Pennsylvania and is represented by AMArt House.
LIBRADO ROMERO
Librado “Lee” Romero spends his days painting the Hudson River from his window in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, as well as scenes conjured by his imagination from his childhood in Calexico, California from his studio in Yonkers. “Everyone is born an artist,” he declares. He has been drawing and painting since childhood, exhibiting both photography and paintings in Europe, Mexico, and the United States, throughout his long and successful career as a photojournalist.
KEVIN SCORGIE
Kevin Scorgie grew up in a creative family in Weston, Massachusetts. He studied in Boston at the Art Institute of Boston and the Massachusettes College of Art. Scorgie is a studio painter at heart who works from drawings, photographs, images from the web and his imagination. His work is about discovery, painting during times of shows and now shows with a joyful spirit.
SEAN TAGGART
Born in the mid-sixties, Sean grew up in an artists enclave in downtown NYC. During this time he studied at the HS of Art & Design, the School of Visual Arts, and the Arts Student's league. He has worked as an illustrator/cartoonist for forty years now. He's always avoided "Fine Art" due to a childhood of deprivation. But, Art, whether fine or not, has always been a temptress. So after many, many years of putzing around. He's finally hoisted his sail. Damn the torpedoes!
DALE WILLIAMS
Dale Williams studied art at the Cooper Union, Hunter College and Cal Arts. He has shown his work in many solo and group exhibitions in New York City, Brooklyn, and surrounding areas over the past 35 years. In 2014 he was a grant recipient from the New York Foundation for the Arts in Drawing/Printmaking/Book Arts. The subject of his work is the expressive figure - human, animal, hybrid - as embodiment of antic struggle and mystery.