Matthew Brannon Art

Matthew Brannon is best known for his letterpress and screen prints of incongruous combinations of images and text. These prints are rendered in a subtle, stripped-down aesthetic, ev...

This signed and numbered limited edition print was commissioned by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 2012. This impression has never been framed and is in excellent condition. Note: Framed image is for reference purposes only. Artist's Statement: "When I was asked to make a print to benefit Lincoln Center I was both honored and intimidated. I was reminded of my moving to New York City in 1997. My student loans had yet to kick in and I was so broke that I really couldn’t afford much of a night on the town. So instead, as an alternative, I’d meet friends outside of Lincoln Center. There we’d spend a few hours socializing and drinking alongside the lights, on marble steps and by the fountain. I always remember that time. "When I begin to make a work of art I begin with the concept. I play word games and I try to loosen up my associations and assumptions. I make visual and verbal connections. Sometimes these are very personal and frustratingly obscure and sometimes more public. In this case I got stuck on cheese. Why cheese? I remember noticing when I moved to New York that people in New York (at least in the art world) loved cheese. Whatever the event or occasion there it was. And someone was always explaining what he or she liked about this or that particular cheese. I’m a natural mimic and so I paid attention, it comes from moving around a lot. From being the 'new kid.' So I kept mental notes on what was 'good' and more importantly what was 'bad.' You can tell a lot about a person by their opinions on cheese. (The truth is I’m not a huge fan of cheese. I believe I have a lactose intolerance.) So all this is to say in my mind it’s forever linked with connoisseurship and culture. I know these days things have changed. But much of my art concerns itself with outdated notions of 'fancy.' The status symbols of the past I knew when it felt like it mattered. I’m aware that my insecurities are what drove me forward. But that’s one way to learn. You could say the print is of artisanal cheeses—aspirational cheeses. "And then there’s the fun part—adding the text. Which is like my last word on the my artwork; the punch line—the commentary—the poetry. I had a number of ideas but I went with this one—Immature, Artist. Because artists take time. And some of us need reminding." -Matthew Brannon, December 1, 2012 Permanent Collections: Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, Rennie Collection, Vancouver, Canada, Ringler Collection, Zurich, Switzerland, Rubell Family Collection, Miami, FL, MADRE Museum, Naples, Italy, The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, The Alfond Collection of Contemporary Arts, Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Rollins College...

Matthew Brannon is best known for his letterpress and screen prints of incongruous combinations of images and text. These prints are rendered in a subtle, stripped-down aesthetic, evoking mass production and marketing design. For a 2006 series of blue and black silkscreen prints, Brannon paired representations of potted plants with grim subtitles such as Sick Whore and How It All Ends, in keeping with his thematic interest in pathology and personal struggle. Brannon’s sculptures exhibit a similar pictorial simplicity, often executed in few colors and with meticulous attention to symmetry and balance. Like a stage set for the performance of a play set...

Matthew Brannon is best known for his letterpress and screen prints of incongruous combinations of images and text. These prints are rendered in a subtle, stripped-down aesthetic, ev...

Matthew Brannon is best known for his letterpress and screen prints of incongruous combinations of images and text. These prints are rendered in a subtle, stripped-down aesthetic, ev...

Matthew Brannon is best known for his letterpress and screen prints of incongruous combinations of images and text. These prints are rendered in a subtle, stripped-down aesthetic, ev...