Opening tonight at the Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston is a fantastic show called “Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of Cool“. Best known for his giant portraits of friends and local people from the artists hometown community in Connecticut, these oversize canvases portray everyday regular people on such a large scale that it elevates them to iconic status. This is the first painting retrospective of Mr.Hendricks work, and the show includes over 50 canvases from 1964 to the present. This Houston show is the last stop on a tour of US museums including the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Santa Monica Museum of Art, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. As you can tell by these images posted below, this show is as much a documentation of style, as each elegant painting gives you a glimpse into a certain time period of fashion and personal expression. Don’t miss it.

You can catch Barkley L. Hendricks: Birth of Cool now through April 18th at Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston. 5216 Montrose Blvd. Houston, Tx . 77006 ph. 713.284.8250 Admission is free.

Filed under: Art & Culture, Houston, Style by Stephen : 1 Comment »