BURTON  MORRIS
‘THE POWER OF POP’
EXHIBITION AND ARTIST RECEPTION
SATURDAY, JANUARY 17TH    6 - 9 PM

Also on display, an original Burton Morris piece auctioned as part of the 2009 Mardi Gras Masquerade sponsored by the
American Red Cross –Dallas Area Chapter.

BURTON MORRIS

Building on the legacy of Pop Art masters of the 1960s-70s, artist Burton Morris presents his personal world of popular American icons that put a delightful spin on everyday objects and motifs. In his post-Pop style, Morris boldly projects an enticing mood of happiness, high energy and fun.

Morris’ forbears were Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Tom Wesselmann and Red Grooms. He also employs some of the shorthand gestures of comic strips and magazines he has loved and emulated since childhood. These classic devices are seen in his simplified forms and action lines indicating movement joined with his rich acrylic colors. Morris imbues his art with his own impeccable style and optimistic frame of mind.

The artist’s distinctive sword-like slashes suggesting shards of energy come from his study of woodcut prints. Two of his heroes are Albrecht Durer and Rockwell Kent. Durer used similar hatching in the sixteenth century. Twentieth century American artist Rockwell Kent illustrated books and designed bookplates with such lines.

Burton Morris was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1964. Like the late Pop artist Keith Haring, Morris felt an early attraction to Belgian artist Pierre Alechinsky’s paintings that resemble fantastic comic strips. Both artists saw the Belgian’s large exhibition in the International Series at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, in 1977.

Morris earned his bachelor of fine arts degree at Carnegie Mellon University in 1986. Upon graduating, Morris worked in advertising as an art director, creating television commercials.  It was then that he began developing his post-Pop drawings.

The artist established the Burton Morris Studios in 1990. That year he began making his small post-Pop icons more impressive by enlarging them. He also tightened his brushwork into his present precise style. He would choose one subject per composition to create what he calls “an instant happening” for the viewer.

In his paintings, Morris energizes every day images with his unique style. Subjects such as a steaming coffee cup, a swirling martini and a dancing popcorn box all take on a new life under his paintbrush.

Morris has created signature images for the 76th annual Academy Awards, the 38th Montreux Jazz Festival, The Andre Agassi Foundation, and the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. He was selected by the International Olympic Committee to create 36 original paintings regarding the spirit of the Olympic Games. The International Olympic Museum hosted a one-man exhibition in Lausanne, Switzerland, during the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Burton Morris original artworks are displayed internationally in galleries and museums, and are featured in the collections of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and The Jimmy Carter Center among many others. One-man exhibitions include Sotheby’s of Amsterdam, the International Olympic Museum and the Hickory Museum of Art.