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Roger Brown Biography
Roger Brown, born on December 10, 1941, in Hamilton, Alabama, was an American artist renowned for his involvement with the Chicago Imagists and his distinctive painting style that offered shrewd social commentaries on politics, religion, and art. His upbringing in the southern United States played a significant role in shaping his artistic vision, which was deeply influenced by his family's religious background, folk art, and the material culture of the South.
Brown's early life was marked by creativity, which his parents encouraged. He took art classes from a young age and won a statewide poster competition in tenth grade. Despite initially attending Lipscomb University in Nashville with the intention of becoming a preacher, Brown's passion for art led him to abandon this path and pursue a career in visual arts. He moved to Chicago in 1962, where he attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), earning both his BFA in 1968 and his MFA in 1970.
During his time at SAIC, Brown was exposed to a variety of art historical periods and genres. He gravitated towards Pre-Renaissance Italian art, Surrealism, and the works of American artists such as Edward Hopper, Grant Wood, and Georgia O'Keeffe. His professors, painter Ray Yoshida and art historian Whitney Halstead, had a profound influence on his practice, encouraging him to explore folk, popular, and self-taught art. This exploration became a lifelong passion for Brown, and he would later become an advocate for the importance of non-western, folk, and outsider art.
Brown's work is characterized by its legibility and accessibility, with influences ranging from Edward Hopper to folk art, surrealism, Japanese art, medieval art, and 1940s-era advertisements and cartoons. By combining elements from each of these inspirations, he created paintings that were both visually striking and rich in content. His paintings often featured silhouetted figures, patterned landscapes, and scalloped skies, rendered in a dizzying isometric perspective.
Throughout his career, Brown was deeply associated with Chicago. He graduated from SAIC, kept a series of studios in the city, and was a key figure in the Chicago Imagists group. This collective of artists rejected the prevailing art trends of New York City, such as minimalism and conceptualism, and instead embraced a figurative style that was sometimes violent and often satirical.
Brown's parents owned successful groceries and were members of the Church of Christ, which was known for its intense religious fervor. This religious upbringing left a lasting impression on Brown and often surfaced in his artwork. He was also influenced by his father's woodworking skills, which contributed to his appreciation for handcrafted objects.
In the 1970s, Brown met architect George Veronda, and the two formed a strong artistic and personal relationship. Veronda designed Brown's home and studio in New Buffalo, Michigan, and later a property in La Conchita, California. Brown's homes were not just living spaces but also environments for his extensive art collections, which included works by Chicago Imagists, self-taught artists, and folk and tribal art.
Brown's work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions both in the United States and internationally. His paintings are included in major private and public collections, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art in New York; Art Institute of Chicago; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); and the National Gallery of Art.
In the latter part of his career, Brown created the "Virtual Still Life" series, which combined his interests in painting and collecting. These works featured paintings that served as backdrops for ceramic vessels and other items arranged on shelves, blurring the lines between the concrete and the pictorial.
Roger Brown passed away on November 22, 1997, at the age of 55. His legacy continues through the Roger Brown Study Collection at SAIC, which houses his Chicago collection and serves as an important resource for the study of his work and the broader context of American art. Brown's life and work remain a testament to the power of regional and outsider influences in the creation of deeply personal and culturally resonant art.
Roger Brown Quotes and Sales
of Works
Ponti Art Gallery selects and deals with paintings by the
artist. Upon request, we provide free estimates and
evaluations, communicate prices, quotations, and current
market values.
If you are interested in BUYING or SELLING works by the
artist, contact us immediately.
If you wish to sell or receive an evaluation of the
works:
Send us a frontal photo of the painting, one of the back,
and one of the signature. Also, indicate the dimensions of
the work. Inform us about the purchase origin of the work
and any kind of available documentation (purchase
receipts, certificates of authenticity, publications). One
of our operators will respond to you on the same day. We
guarantee maximum confidentiality and extreme
professionalism.
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