Editor's note: The Boca Raton Museum of Art provided
source material to Resource Library for the following article. If
you have questions or comments regarding the source material, please contact
the Boca Raton Museum of Art through either this phone number or web address:
Gary T. Erbe: Forty Year
Retrospective
September 9 - November 8, 2009
Well-known fool-the-eye
painter Gary T. Erbe is a self-taught artist from New Jersey, whose works
depict pop culture from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. The Boca Raton Museum of
Art will showcase fifty of his trompe l'oeil paintings in Gary T. Erbe:
Forty Year Retrospective, on exhibition September 9 through November
8, 2009.
Erbe (born in Union City, NJ in 1944- ) is internationally
recognized for his realistic style of painting and has exhibited throughout
the United States. Trompe l'oeil (to fool the eye) is illusionist painting
that dates back to ancient Rome, 17th-century Dutch painting, and 19th-century
American painting. Erbe works in a painstaking technique, building up layers
of thin color glazes to achieve the illusion of real depth and volume in
each painting.
These exercises in virtuosity often take up to a year to
complete. This forty-year retrospective, drawn from private and public collections,
presents Erbe's best works, including his collage paintings meticulously
recorded from Erbe's own constructed and arranged tableaux.
Gary T. Erbe: Forty Year Retrospective has been organized by the Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown,
Ohio, and travels to The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, Albuquerque,
New Mexico and New York City's Salmagundi Club.
Captions for images in the exhibition
-
- 1. '76 Special, 1975
- Oil on canvas
- 8 x 15 inches
- Private Collection
-
- 2. A Gentleman's Sport, 2004
- Oil on canvas
- 58 x 25 inches
- Collection of the Butler Institute of American Art
-
- 3. Ambush, 1998
- Oil on canvas
- 18 x 20 inches
- Collection of Marybeth and Joseph Cusenza
-
- Gary Erbe's paintings often take as their subject the
nostalgic remembrance of children's games and toys from earlier times.
Here Erbe has captured perfectly the images and objects of a 1920s Milton
Bradley game, the "The Five Wise Birds." Five colorful birds
from the island of Woozoo sit on a fence. Each player gets six shots per
turn with the "Riflepet" spring-loaded air gun which shoots corks
at the birds. When a bird is hit, it flips over and a score is shown. The
first player to 250 wins.
-
- 4. American Party, 2009
- Oil on canvas
- 20 x 30 inches
- Courtesy of Godel and Company Fine Art, NYC
-
- 5. Arrangement in Brown and White, 1997
- Oil on canvas
- 24 x 24 inches
- Courtesy of Godel and Company Fine Art, NYC
-
- 6. Art, Craft and Leisure, 1993
- Oil on canvas
- 22 x 36 inches
- Collection of Mr. and Mrs. David Rago
-
- Erbe has tailored this work to the interests of his patron
who commissioned the work -- David Rago, a specialist and leading dealer
in American and European 20th-century decorative arts, and furniture. Rago
is founder of Rago Arts and Auction Center, Lambertville, N.J., and Erbe
brings to life in the painting the interests of this well-known auctioneer.
Here we see editions of Gustav Stickley's The Craftsman, an American
Arts and Crafts vase, cookbook, tennis racket, a Grateful Dead album and
a video of Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious.
-
- 7. The Bachelor, 1999
- Oil on canvas
- 14 x 10 inches
- Courtesy of Godel and Company Fine Art, NYC
-
- 8. Baseball, 1990
- Oil on canvas
- 39 x 49 inches
- Collection of Marybeth and Joseph Cusenza
-
- 9. Baseball Album, 2003
- Oil on canvas
- 48 x 68 inches
- Collection of the Butler Institute of American Art
-
- "I wanted to re-create the icons of the golden age
of baseball," says Erbe about his painting Baseball Album. The
painting required fourteen months of continuous work to complete. Included
are baseball uniforms, a 1952 Pirates souvenir, magazine covers and an
illusion of a three-dimensional Kellogg's Corn Flakes box with a baseball
champion on the front. The painting also celebrates the 1960 Pittsburgh
Pirates and the season that Bill Mazeroski's hit clinched the World Series
against the New York Yankees with a home run.
-
- 10. Beach Chair Blizzard, 2003
- Oil on canvas
- 50 x 46 inches
- Courtesy of Godel and Company Fine Art, NYC
-
- 11. The Big Splash, 2001
- Oil on canvas
- 40 x 50 inches
- Collection of Marybeth and Joseph Cusenza
-
- 12. The Brown Bowtie, 1998
- Oil on canvas
- 23 x 32 inches
- Courtesy of Godel and Company Fine Art, NYC
-
- 13. Brown and Jazzy, 1987
- Oil on canvas
- 30 x 37 inches
- Collection of Marybeth and Joseph Cusenza
-
- 14. Cheap Music, 1981
- Oil on canvas
- 23 x 33 inches
- Collection of Richard Manoogian
-
- 15. Cheap Music II, 2000
- Oil on canvas
- 30 x 30 inches
- Collection of David Christ
-
- 16. Comics, (Paper Gold), 1986
- Oil on bronze
- 17 _ x 28 _ inches
- Collection of Marybeth and Joseph Cusenza
-
- 17. Contents of a Boy's Pocket, 1985
- Oil on canvas
- 20 x 13 inches
- Collection of Marybeth and Joseph Cusenza
-
- 18. Cookie Caper, 2002
- Oil on canvas
- 14 x 20 inches
- Collection of Marybeth and Joseph Cusenza
-
- 19. Double Image, 1984
- Oil on canvas
- 34 x 38 inches
- Collection of the Salmagundi Club
- Gift of the artist in memory of Muriel Koestler
-
- 20. Double Jeopardy, 2000
- Oil on canvas
- 45 x 60 inches
- Collection of Zeny and Gary Erbe
-
- 21. Electric Cow, 2002
- Oil on canvas
- 49 x 73 inches
- Courtesy of Godel and Company Fine Art, NYC
-
- 22. Fantasy in Pursuit II, 1983
- Oil on canvas
- 64 x 75 inches
- Collection of Center Line, NC www.centerline.net
-
- 23. Fire Lesson, 1977
- Oil on canvas
- 21 x 12 inches
- Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Michael Friedman
-
- 24. Frankie, 1966
- Oil on canvas
- 26 x 16 inches
- Collection of the artist
-
- 25. Frenzy, 2007
- Oil on canvas
- 60 x 70 inches
- Courtesy of Godel and Company Fine Art, NYC
-
- 26. Golf in Winter, 2007
- Oil on canvas
- 60 x 40 inches
- Courtesy of Godel and Company Fine Art, NYC
-
- 27. Gone Fishin, 1994
- Oil on canvas
- 26 _ x 44 _ inches
- Collection of Marybeth and Joseph Cusenza
-
- 28. Impressions, 1969
- Oil on canvas
- 26 x 19 inches
- Collection of Marybeth and Joseph Cusenza
-
- "I studied the common thread which links 19th- century
trompe l'oeil artists and decided to remove objects from their natural
surroundings via levitation. I then began to create paintings with objects
not related in reality and yet when juxtaposed within a composition would
stimulate the mindIn 1969, I coined the term "Levitational Realism"
and 1970 was the beginning of a new direction and to this day, my work
continues to evolve. Painting is a long journey."
-
- 29. The Journey, 1999
- Oil on canvas
- 37 x 30 inches
- Courtesy of Godel and Company Fine Art, NYC
-
- 30. Just Shirts, 1994
- Oil on canvas
- 30 x 40 inches
- Courtesy of Godel and Company Fine Art, NYC
-
- 31. Lifeline, 1996
- Oil on canvas
- 38 x 34 inches
- Collection of Manuel de Torres
-
- 32. Lipsync, 1983
- Oil on canvas
- 30 x 37 inches
- Collection of the Butler Institute of American Art
-
- 33. Night Off, 2001
- Oil on canvas
- 21 x 30 inches
- Collection of Edmund Hooker
-
- 34. Past Season, 1969
- Oil on canvas
- 36 x 24 inches
- Collection of Marybeth and Joseph Cusenza
-
- "In 1967, I discovered the Trompe l'oeil
school of painting which immediately interested me. I felt that inanimate
objects are universally identifiable and people can relate to objects.
I also felt that objects when juxtaposed in a composition could help convey
an idea. Thus I began to work in the style of Trompe l'oeil paintingIn
1969, I began reevaluating the small volume of work I created to date in
that visual idiom. I asked myself a question. Do I want to be a follower
of the 19th century Trompe L'oeil painters or do I want to be an
innovator and find my own identity?"
-
- 35. Picture Show, 1995
- Oil on canvas
- 42 x 38 inches
- Courtesy of Godel and Company Fine Art, NYC
-
- 36. The Pressure of Time, 1970
- Oil on canvas
- 29 x 23 inches
- Private Collection
-
- The Pressure of Time was
created in response to the suicide of a childhood friend of the artist.
Working in his style of "Levitational Realism" in which the subject
is suspended in the air, here we see a weight suspended within a metal
frame fastened with a razor blade and hovering over a ticking clock. In
the background, the premonition of the fallen weight is realized. This
metaphorical composition sums up Erbe's statement that "Suicide is
not a spontaneous act."
-
- 37. Red Horizon, 2004
- C-print
- 52 x 38 inches
- Collection of Zeny and Gary Erbe
-
- 38. Roots of Jazz, 2007
- Oil on canvas
- 30 x 45 inches
- Collection of Debbie and Kevin Courtney
-
- 39. Southern Comfort, 1996
- Oil on canvas
- 38 x 38 inches
- Collection of Marybeth and Joseph Cusenza
-
- 40. Southern Nights, 1999
- Oil on canvas
- 32 x 32 inches
- Collection of Springfield Art Museum
-
- 41. Southern Shadows, 2001
- Oil on canvas
- 38 x 31 inches
- Courtesy of Godel and Company Fine Art, NYC
-
- 42. Staff of Life, 1970
- Oil on canvas
- 10 x 14 inches
- Collection of Zeny and Gary Erbe
-
- 43. Street Scene, 1977
- Oil on canvas
- 8 x 17 inches
- Collection of Jeffrey Cooley
-
- 44. Subway Series, 2008
- Oil on canvas
- 55 x 45 inches
- Courtesy of Godel and Company Fine Art, NYC
-
- Gary Erbe's subject here is the Subway Series, a series
of major league baseball games played during the regular season between
the American League New York Yankees and National League New York Mets.
In the year 2008, when the artist completed the work, the Mets won four
of six games, sweeping the series at Yankee Stadium. The Subway Series
also references the preferred mode of transportation to the games: Subway
line 7 goes to Shea Stadium in Queens, home of the Mets and on 4 line goes
to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, home of the Yankees.
-
- 45. Survivor, 1981
- Oil on canvas
- 60 x 48 inches
- Collection of Richard Manoogian
-
- 46. Take Five, 1981-82
- Oil on canvas
- 64 x 54 inches
- Collection of Richard Manoogian
-
- 47. Those Amazin' Mets, 2005-06
- Oil on canvas
- 64 x 45 inches
- Courtesy of Godel and Company Fine Art, NYC
-