The Last of the Bohemians - Bob Watt (1925-2012)
Opening Reception:
Friday, October 21, 2016; 5-9 pm
Saturday, October 22, 2016 12-4 pm
“The Last of the Bohemians” features a suite of ten Native American landscape paintings from the private collection of Jimmy von Milwaukee. This is the first public thematic exhibition of Watt’s works since his death in 2012.
“The Last of the Bohemians” showcases Watt’s signature style of Native American Chiefs in repose on appropriated sofa-size commercial art landscapes.
In Watt’s playful style, chiefs are “photo-bombs” that lurk in the background, dominate the composition, or meld into the picture like a double exposure in the wasteland of commercial kitsch.
Sampling the facial masks of modern art masters, 19th century portrait photography and the whimsical three-dimensional play of mobiles, Watt creates images that are haunting and haughty totems signifying the clash of the natural and manmade world that requires the viewer to question what is and what isn’t art.
Bob Watt was a Milwaukee poet, artist and provocateur. He was considered the most published Wisconsin poet. His artwork is in numerous private and public collections including Jimmy Carter Library, Hugh Hefner, Jack Nicholson, John Shimon & the late Julie Lindemannn and the Vatican.
Gallery Hours: Saturdays 12-5 pm and weekdays by appointment.
Show Runs through Saturday, December 17th, 2016
Bob Watt painting in his studio, 1997. Photo courtesy of J. Shimon & J. Lindemann.