Local businessman and supporter of the arts, Randy Verhasselt organized an awesome night of art and conversation in the quaint Village of Wittenberg. Randy has the absolute coolest floral design studio in Wisconsin, Evolutions in Design please check it out.
We were thoroughly entertained by Gary's lecture and visit. I was particularly enamored with some of his sketch books which he shared with us. He also brought one of his original Toby's. The exhibit was really great too and included all the big name low brow and outsider artists.
Don't know who Gary Baseman is? He is the absolute Andy Warhol of what is called Low Brow art. He is a rigorous self promoter and extremely successful marketer of his art, his brand and his life. Here is a brief update from the "about" section of his website.
"Los Angeles-based Gary Baseman explores the “beauty of the
bittersweetness of life” through painting, performance, film and
fashion. Current projects include a collaboration with COACH
ready-to-wear for the Spring 2015 Collection; a documentary “Mythical
Creatures” about his family heritage; and a traveling retrospective that
started in the United States in 2013 and continues at the K11 Art
Museum in Shanghai through March 2015.Baseman’s multifaceted career includes illustration for clients including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and the Wall Street Journal and the bestselling board game Cranium; as well as animation for which he created the Emmy and BAFTA award-winning ABC/Disney series “Teacher’s Pet.” Baseman with his dynamic and abundant imagination continues to cross media platforms addressing both light and serious subject matter – fitting for today’s complex global society, where art reaches all from the digital and commercial realms to museums and beyond"
Here are some examples of Gary's work. Remember, he does huge 3 dimensional installations, housewares and clothes. The dude is a busy guy. Photos courtesy Baseman.
Sorry for the cruddy cell phone photo but here is the giant one he brought with him to Wittenberg. It was like 10 feet long.
Such a cool venue and exciting exhibit!
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