Gary Panter: Daydream Trap

March 9–August 31, 2008
Exhibition Reception: March 9, 2008; 3 to 5 pm

Gary Panter often asks the question, “How many ways can you use drawing in your life?” Looking at the artist’s work the answer is clearly “in every way possible,” with neither random daydream nor acute observation excluded.

On March 9, 2008, The Aldrich will open Gary Panter’s first solo museum exhibition. Daydream Trap which will focus on three facets of the artist’s career: his sketchbooks, which are the spawning ground for many of the artist’s ideas; his paintings, which are a significant part of his artistic output, yet have never been put in critical perspective; and his music, which he has pursued on a “part-time” basis for twenty years. The exhibition will be on view through August 31, 2008.

When talking about Daydream Trap, exhibitions director Richard Klein says, “Panter’s memory is like an encyclopedic inventory of all visual experiences compiled since the midpoint of the last century. This inventory ranges from high art to advertisements to the history of comics and cartoons, and is the source of inspiration for Panter’s style, in which an amalgam of characters is presented in the manner of stream-of-consciousness, concrete visual poetry.”

additional images | click to enlarge

Gary Panter, Untitled (Two Girls with Guns), 1996
Collection of the Artist

Gary Panter, Traffic, 2004
Courtesy of the Artist and Clementine, New York

Gary Panter, Where Was the Air Force, 2001 (from Satiroplastic sketchbook, 1999–2001)
Courtesy of the Artist

Gary Panter, collection of ephemera from the artist's studio, 1978–2008, 36 Sketchbooks, 1978–2007
Collection of the artist

Gary Panter, Climate, 2001
Courtesy of the Artist

Gary Panter, Daydream Trap, 2008, wall drawing with fluorescent chalk, dark gray latex paint, black light
Courtesy of the artist

The Aldrich will host an Exhibition Reception on Sunday, March 9, 2008, from 3 to 5 pm to debut the exhibition and offer the first opportunity to acquire Panter’s new book. Gary Panter will be at the opening to sign copies of Gary Panter, a major monograph published by PictureBox.

Please visit the Aldrich Museum Store to purchase Gary Panter, as well as the new Aldrich Edition print by Panter, Daydream Trap.

Gary Panter is an Oklahoma-born illustrator, painter, designer, part-time musician, and child of the ’50s who blossomed in the full glare of the psychedelic ’60s and, after surviving underground during the ’70s, finally made his mark in the ’80s as head set designer for the successful kid/adult TV show Pee Wee’s Playhouse, a job which brought his jagged art and surreal cartoon ideas into the homes of America and earned him three Emmy Awards. Panter’s work, which is difficult to easily categorize, has also appeared in (among other places) Art Spiegelman’s groundbreaking graphic magazine RAW and numerous major book projects. In 2000 he was the recipient of the Chrysler Design Award, an annual award that acknowledges individuals from the world of design who have significantly influenced American culture. In 2005 Panter’s work was included in the traveling exhibition Masters of American Comics that was organized by UCLA Hammer Museum and LA MoCA. Gary Panter is represented by Clementine Gallery, New York City; Dunn and Brown Contemporary, Dallas; and Billy Shire Fine Art, Los Angeles.