Richard Hambleton

b. 1952

Richard Hambleton is a conceptual artist based in New York's Lower East Side. His exhibition record spans over three decades and includes work from both street and studio practices. Hambleton was an integral figure in the street art movement of the 80's which included the likes of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. His projects continue to be a working model for emerging street and conceptually-based artists today. Hambleton's first widely publicized public art project was a series from 1976-1979 entitled "Image Mass Murder." With this series, Hambleton staged fictitious, often graphic, murder scenes using chalk outlines and red paint in urban areas designated as "low crime." In 1982, Hambleton began his most widely known urban art project, the "Shadowman" series. Hambleton painted shadow figures into the landscape of New York City from 1982-1986. He continues to explore landscape in his current series, "The Beautiful Paintings." Feature articles on Hambleton can be found in Art in America, Life Magazine, People, and The New York Times, among others. His work has been exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, including PS1, the Brooklyn Museum, the New Museum, and Kunsthalle Wien.