Brian Calvin’s highly stylized portraits feature flattened planes of saturated color and evoke elements of Surrealism, Pop art, and Cubism. The artist often paints his predominantly female subjects in extreme close-up. A single face can comprise disparate skin tones and different colored eyes. It can be difficult to decipher whether Calvin’s compositions feature one face or two, and his group scenes often merge characters’ faces and limbs. Beneath Calvin’s bold, sunny hues lie serious conceptual concerns and an engagement with abstract principles. The artist received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1994. He has since exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Milan, and Tokyo, among other cities. His work belongs in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Portland Museum of Art, and the DePaul Art Museum. Calvin has also painted landscapes and interiors inspired by his California roots.
American, b. 1969
