Tom Sanford The Triumph of Passion over Reason 2006 oil/acrylic on canvas 119.5" x 119" [installation view, with thumbnail detail*]
We had first seen his work at 31 Grand in Williamsburg several years ago. Today Tom Sanford continues his celebrity odyssey in paintings and drawings installed at Leo Koenig. In his first show in the 23rd Street gallery, it appear that Koenig himself may be replacing Tupac as his muse.
The press release is a big help here. Excerpt:
The experience of viewing these paintings are somewhat like watching a car wreck. One simply cannot turn away, yet the image burned into one's consciousness is undeniably disturbing. It is this attraction/repulsion that is the impetus for Sanford's work and reflects the artist's ambivalent relationship to the culture he not only depicts, but of which he is also an avid consumer.
Tom Sanford Stephan Marbury 2005 oil/acrylic on wood with basketballs 89" x 50" [installation view]
Tom Sanford Follow the Boys 2005 oil/acrylic on wood 74" x 84" [installation view]
The faux metal plates at the top and bottom of the frame around the image above read, respectively: "ANNO DOMINI MMIII" and THE VALIANT LEO KOENIG DEFENDS THE HONOR OF FAIR DEBORA WARNER BY PUMMELING THE SCOUNDREL RICHARD ACERBEEK"
*
"Triumph" detail