After receiving his bachelor of fine arts in painting and art history from the Emily Carr School of Art in 1974, Richard Hambleton launched his “Mass Murder” series. The series was painted on the streets of over 15 cities across Canada and the United States. Hambleton would outline friends in chalk drawings, splashing them with red paint to mimic the remnants of a crime scene.
In 1979, Hambleton moved permanently to the Lower East Side of New York City. It was here that Hambleton gained notoriety for his “Shadowman” paintings of the early 1980s. Over the course of the next decade, his ominous silhouettes painted in unsuspecting corners, alleys and side streets had appeared in over six hundred locations in major cities, including New York City, London, Paris, as well as both sides of the Berlin Wall.
A departure from the spontaneity of the traditional street tag, Hambleton’s paintings were site-specific conceptual works intended to provoke unsuspecting pedestrians with a sobering moment of contemplation. His first solo exhibition opened in the Lower East Side of New York in 1982, and just two years later, his work was included in the Venice Biennale. He was included in the Venice Biennale again in 1988. From 2009–11, a major retrospective was mounted in collaboration with Giorgio Armani, touring multiple venues that included the Moscow Museum of Modern Art and Phillips de Pury in New York.
Shadowman, a film about Hambleton by director Oren Jacoby, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 21 2017. Today, Hambleton’s works are held in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum, the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Moco Museum in Amsterdam, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, among others. Hambleton continued to live and work in New York until his death in 2017.
Find a collection of Richard Hambleton art on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by Chase Contemporary)
$216,000Sale Price|20% Off
"4 Shadows", 2012
By Richard Hambleton
Located in Edinburgh, GB
This work belongs to Richard Hambleton’s late Shadow period, in which the human figure is reduced to a haunting silhouette—simultaneously present and anonymous. In Four Shadows, Hamb...
Oil, Canvas
Standing Shadow - Run
By Richard Hambleton
Located in London, GB
2018 Giclée on 308gsm Hahnemuhle paper 145 x 77 cm Edition of 75 Numbered by Hambleton in pencil as well as bearing the Richard Hambleton Archive stamp verso Excellent condition Fram...
Paper, Giclée
Untitled (Blood Flowers), Mixed Media with Blood on Canvas, 2007
By Richard Hambleton
Located in Astoria, NY
Richard Hambleton (Canadian, 1952-2017), Untitled (Blood Flowers), Mixed Media with Blood on Canvas, 2007, signed and dated lower right, unframed. 24.75" H x 10.25" W x 1" D. Prove...
Canvas, Mixed Media
Untitled (Landscape Scene), Mixed Media with Blood on Paper, 2007
By Richard Hambleton
Located in Astoria, NY
Richard Hambleton (Canadian, 1952-2017), Untitled (Landscape Scene), Mixed Media with Blood on Paper, 2007, signed in pencil and dated lower right, black frame. Image: 14.5" H x 20....
Paper, Mixed Media
Price Upon Request
Richard Hambleton Drawings 2016 (set of 3 works)
By Richard Hambleton
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Richard Hambleton Drawings 2016: Set of 3 unique, individual hand-signed drawings originally obtained directly from Hambleton; framed as a triptych. Medium: Black Marker on found bo...
Paper, Permanent Marker
Vendimiadora (Grape Harvester)
By Roman Frances
Located in Atlanta, GA
Small limited edition run of 49 and 6 E.A."s (Edition of the artist). Each canvas reproduction is crafted by a skilled printer under the supervision of the artist. Román Francés has...
Canvas, Oil, Giclée
Untitled: White House
Located in New York, NY
Unidentified/ Unknown Artist, "Untitled: White House" , Mixed Media (Charcoal, Oil Paint) Landscape Drawing on Paper, 17.75 x 23, Mid to Late-20th Century ...
Charcoal, Mixed Media, Oil
$700
H 30 in W 26 in D 1 in
Unititled, Original Oil Painting on Handmade Paper, Framed, 2006
By Alexander Gore
Located in Aventura, FL
Original painting on handmade paper. Hand signed and dated on front by the artist. Artwork size 19 x 12.25 inches. Frame size approx 30 x 26 inches. Artwork is in excellent condi...
Oil, Handmade Paper
$2,204Sale Price|20% Off
H 11.5 in W 7.5 in
Metallic Ink Painting, Animal, Female Figure, Woman & Bird by America Martin
By America Martin
Located in Laguna Beach, CA
America Martin "Woman & Bird" Ink on Paper 11.5 x 7.5 inches America Martin is an internationally represented Colombian-American fine artist based in Los Angeles. America is a ...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper
$15,000
H 11 in W 8.5 in
Keith Haring - Original handwritten Letter, signed by Keith Haring on letterhead
By Keith Haring
Located in New York, NY
Keith Haring Original Handwritten, hand signed Letter, ca. 1987 Ink on Haring's Private letterhead Stationery, Hand written and hand signed by Keith Haring Unique, original piece: ch...
Paper, Ink, Permanent Marker
Thoughtful
By Roman Frances
Located in Atlanta, GA
Small limited edition run of 49 and 6 E.A."s (Edition of the artist). Each canvas reproduction is crafted by a skilled printer under the supervision of the artist. Román Francés has...
Canvas, Oil, Giclée
$3,250
H 14 in W 23 in
"Approaching Rain" Dennis Sheehan, Cloudy Sky, Atmospheric, Tonalist, American
By Dennis Sheehan
Located in New York, NY
Dennis Sheehan Approaching Rain, circa 2025 Signed lower left Oil on canvas 14 x 23 inches Dennis Sheehan was born in Boston in 1950. His work is based upon the Barbizon School wit...
Canvas, Oil
$5,876Sale Price|28% Off
H 28.55 in W 24.61 in
Circle of G.B. Piazzetta - 18th century Venetian Six Apostles paintings
Located in Varmo, IT
Circle of Giambattista Piazzetta (Venice 1683 - Venice 1754) - Six Half-Length Apostles. 62.5 x 52.5 cm (unframed) - 72.5 x 62.5 cm (framed). Group of six oils on canvas, in contem...
Canvas, Oil
$28,000
H 7.75 in W 7.5 in
Robert Rauschenberg -Snowflake Crime XIX ACE Gallery Coll unique signed painting
By Robert Rauschenberg
Located in New York, NY
Historic, institutional quality unique Rauschenberg signed work on paper, with storied provenance: a real gem: Robert Rauschenberg 'Snowflake Crime XIX', from the ACE Gallery Collec...
Fabric, Mixed Media, Acrylic, Handmade Paper, Permanent Marker
$7,900
H 49 in W 60.5 in
Soft Summer - Large Contemporary Abstract Textured Cool Tone Landscape Art
By Lee Herring
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Lee Herring is a contemporary painter specializing in vibrant, textured, and abstract landscapes that convey fleeting moments. Herring's energetic artworks are inspired by everyday m...
Canvas, Varnish, Mixed Media, Acrylic
Stanza Giclée Print on Canvas, Hand Signed, Edition of 95, Framed
By Tomasz Rut
Located in Aventura, FL
Giclee on canvas. Hand signed and numbered on front by the artist. Edition of 95. Canvas size 36 x 24 inches. Custom framed as pictured. Artwork is in excellent condition. Certi...
Giclée, Canvas
Splendor
By Roman Frances
Located in Atlanta, GA
Small limited edition run of 49 and 6 E.A."s (Edition of the artist). Each canvas reproduction is crafted by a skilled printer under the supervision of the artist. Román Francés has...
Canvas, Oil, Giclée
Landscape
By Richard Hambleton
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Richard Hambleton (American, 1954 - ) Title: Landscape Year: 1988 Medium: Engraved Steel and Acrylic mounted to Wood, signed and dated verso Size: 18 x 36 in. (45.72 x...
Stainless Steel
Sold
H 24 in W 31 in
Untitled (Black Headshadow with Yellow and Orange Background)
By Richard Hambleton
Located in Los Angeles, CA
New York Times art critic Michael Brenson, when commenting on Hambleton's exceptional skill at handling paint, wrote, "When he throws white or black on the canvas, his waves break, h...
Mixed Media, Canvas