Marcel Dzama Art

With his unmistakable version of contemporary Surrealism, Marcel Dzama is one of the most successful Canadian artists. Born in Winnipeg in 1974, Dzama had an international reputat...

With his unmistakable version of contemporary Surrealism, Marcel Dzama is one of the most successful Canadian artists. Born in Winnipeg in 1974, Dzama had an international reputation by the time he was 30. In the 1990s, as one of the founding members of the Royal Art Lodge, Dzama contributed to the renaissance of figurative art and simultaneously put Winnipeg on the map as a center for Canadian creativity. Dzama's works are instantly recognizable for their subject and style. He often takes banal scenes or characters and injects them with menacing, eerie, or twisted details that can border on the absurd, yet with a touch of fun. In this untitled work (aka “Street Seller”) we find two men engaged in an ambiguous exchange. The man on the right, dressed in a fedora and trenchcoat, unveils the lining of his jacket to reveal four small gnome-like figures for sale (each with varying expressions). His counterpart extends his arm with a hand full of cash, ready to purchase the bizarre contraband. Like the best of Dzama's work, the viewer is drawn in with obscure clues and asked to assemble a narrative or just enjoy his wacky imagination. Dzama's work can be found in a host of prestigious public and private collections including Paris' Centre Georges Pompidou, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the MoMA, Le Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. He is particularly favored by celebrity collectors including Brad Pitt, Jim Carrey...

With his unmistakable version of contemporary Surrealism, Marcel Dzama is one of the most successful Canadian artists. Born in Winnipeg in 1974, Dzama had an international reputat...

With his unmistakable version of contemporary Surrealism, Marcel Dzama is one of the most internationally successful Canadian artists. Born in Winnipeg in 1974, Dzama had an intern...

With his unmistakable version of contemporary Surrealism, Marcel Dzama is one of the most internationally successful Canadian artists. Born in Winnipeg in 1974, Dzama had an international reputation by the time he was 30. In the 1990s, as one of the founding members of the Royal Art Lodge, Dzama contributed to the renaissance of figurative art and simultaneously put Winnipeg on the map as a center for Canadian creativity. Dzama's works are instantly recognizable for their subject and style. He often takes banal scenes or characters and injects them with menacing, eerie, or twisted details that can border on the absurd. This work features two possibly identical women standing side by side. The woman on the left, depicted topless, looks away from the second woman who is adorned in a feathery yellow costume. With an ambiguous expression, the woman in costume appears to be charging towards the woman on the left, whose nudity and unassuming nature hints at her vulnerability. Often depicting uniforms and costumes from popular culture, it isn’t hard to imagine that Dzama took inspiration from Sesame Street’s Big Bird when creating this piece. With this in mind, the contrast between one woman's nudity and and the cutesy/bizarre ensemble is exemplary of Dzama’s playful contemporary Surrealism. Today Marcel Dzama's work can be found in a host of prestigious public and private collections including Paris' Centre Georges Pompidou, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the MoMA, Le Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. He is particularly favored by celebrity collectors including Brad Pitt, Jim Carrey and Steve Martin. Untitled ("New Look...

With his unmistakable version of contemporary Surrealism, Marcel Dzama is one of the most successful contemporary Canadian artists. Born in Winnipeg in 1974, Dzama had an internation...

With his unmistakable version of contemporary Surrealism, Marcel Dzama is one of the most successful contemporary Canadian artists. Born in Winnipeg in 1974, Dzama had an international reputation by the time he was 30. In the 1990's, as one of the founding members of the Royal Art Lodge, Dzama contributed to the renaissance of figurative art while simultaneously putting Winnipeg on the map as a center for Canadian creativity. Dzama's works are instantly recognizable for their bizarre subject yet friendly style. He often takes banal scenes or characters and injects them with menacing, eerie or twisted details that can border on the absurd. In this untitled drawing (aka "Harlequin") we find two strange characters playing and performing for each other. Like the best of Dzama's work there is a combination of fantasy and mystery. How often do you encounter a fox (?) or a cat (?) playing a trumpet for masked harlequin? Marcel Dzama's work can be found in a host of prestigious public and private collections including Paris' Centre Georges Pompidou, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the MoMA, Le Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. He is particularly favored by celebrity collectors including Brad Pitt, Jim Carrey...

With his unmistakable version of contemporary Surrealism, Marcel Dzama is one of the most successful contemporary Canadian artists. Born in Winnipeg in 1974, Dzama had an international reputation by the time he was 30. In the 1990's, as one of the founding members of the Royal Art Lodge, Dzama contributed to the renaissance of figurative art and simultaneously put Winnipeg on the map as a center for Canadian creativity. Dzama's works are instantly recognizable for their subject and style. He often takes banal scenes or characters and injects them with menacing, eerie or twisted details that can border on the absurd. In this untitled unique drawing (aka "Dinner Companion") we find several strange characters evocative of a comic-book or graphic novel. Like the best of Dzama's work the viewer is drawn in and asked to assemble a narrative. Centred in the foreground of the work is a Santa hat...

With his unmistakable version of contemporary Surrealism, Marcel Dzama is one of the most successful contemporary Canadian artists. Born in Winnipeg in 1974, Dzama had an internation...

With his unmistakable version of contemporary Surrealism, Marcel Dzama is one of the most successful contemporary Canadian artists. Born in Winnipeg in 1974, Dzama had an internation...

With his unmistakable version of contemporary Surrealism, Marcel Dzama is one of the most successful contemporary Canadian artists. Born in Winnipeg in 1974, Dzama had an internation...

This watercolor is signature Dzama. It features a human/animal hybrid, a character in a mask, and two characters interacting in an ambiguous context. In this image a masked human cowers at a wolfman baring his teeth and claws. Despite the undercurrent of threat and fear, there's an absurd playfulness and imagination to Dzama's works. Only these scenarios and characters could exist Dzama's world. Dzama's work can be found in a host of prestigious public and private collections including Paris' Centre Georges Pompidou, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the MoMA, Le Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. He is particularly favored by celebrity collectors including Brad Pitt, Jim Carrey...