Back and Front Cover: Richard Hambleton, New York, Presented by Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld & Andy Valmorbida in Collaboration with Giorgio Armani, 64-Page Catalogue, 2009. Size: 16 x 12 inches — Available for Purchase
Richard Hambleton ((1952-2017) encountered many highs and lows. Early acclaim for his 1980s street art was followed by a long stretch of drug abuse and squandered opportunities. Richard Hambleton New York, an exhibition, organized in 2009 by Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld (whose mother was editor of French Vogue), and Andy Valmorbida in collaboration with Giorgio Armani, heralded a major career comeback. Hambleton was embraced by upscale fashionistas as his retrospective traveled for two years to elegant venues in New York, Milan, Moscow, Cannes and Paris.
Gallery 98 has been fortunate to acquire the original, large-sized, lushly produced, 64-page catalogue for Richard Hambleton New York. In full-page and double page spreads, the catalogue includes photographs of Hambleton’s street work by Hank O’Neal, along with reproductions of his later works on canvas and found materials. It is surprising to see how effectively Hambleton’s ‘shadow-man’ imagery suited domestic settings.
Catalogue for Richard Hambleton, New York, 2009
Cover: Richard Hambleton, New York, Presented by Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld & Andy Valmorbida in Collaboration with Giorgio Armani, 64-Page Catalogue, 2009. Size: 16 x 12 inches — Available for Purchase
A Portrait of Richard Hambleton by Curt Hoppe, from Downtown Portraits 2010-2019
Curt Hoppe, Richard Hambleton (Large Version), Signed Photograph on Archival Paper, 2011. Size: 38 x 24 inches — Available for Purchase. This studio photograph of Hambleton was made in conjunction with Hoppe’s series Downtown Portraits, 2010-2019. It was the basis for his large, hyper-realist painting of Hambleton. While there is a small number of 11 x 14 inch prints of the photo in circulation, this is the sole large print of this iconic image.
The opening for the Hambleton exhibition’s final stop at Phillips de Pury during New York Fashion Week in 2011was a particularly glamorous affair. Hambleton arrived late, stylishly dressed, but physically ravaged by years of drug abuse and ill health. A portrait of Hambleton by Curt Hoppe taken a few months earlier provides an image of the artist that is both striking and repulsive. Hambleton’s nose half-eroded by cancer is covered by a bandage, while his posture is twisted on account of scoliosis of the spine. Despite these health conditions, Hambleton projects charisma and confidence by deliberately placing his large hand on his heart, and striking a half-smile to show off the new set of teeth that late financial success had made possible.
