Robin Utterback
American , (1949–2007)
Born in the small town of Holton, Kansas, Robin Utterback graduated with a B.A. from Rice University in 1971 and returned as the first student in Rice's Bachelor of Fine Arts program, receiving his B.F.A. in 1974. Utterback quickly became an essential thread in the fabric of the burgeoning Houston art scene. A year after graduating, Utterback had his first solo exhibition at Tibor de Nagy Gallery in Houston (later Watson/de Nagy & Co.) and would later go on to exhibit in the New York location of the gallery.
In 1978, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston made their first acquisition of Utterback’s work, which marked the beginning of a fruitful relationship between the institution and Utterback. The museum collection holds paintings, numerous works on paper and a suite of etchings by Utterback, and would work with him on various projects. Utterback’s work was included in the seminal 1985 exhibition and publication Fresh Paint, an exhibition of artists deeply connected to Houston that went on to travel to MoMa PS1 and the Oklahoma Art Center, in Oklahoma City.Often in dialogue with other artists, poets, writers and art historians, Utterback continued to explore the depths of artistic possibilities in various media. From the early 1990s through the early 2000s, Utterback collaborated with fellow artists to create energetic prints, paintings and textiles. During a 2004 tenure in Strasbourg, Utterback began a new series of works incorporating images of masks in his collages and paintings. Following Utterback’s death in 2007, Galveston Arts Center curator Clint Willour celebrated Utterback’s life and work with the acclaimed exhibition, Remembering Robin Utterback. The exhibition catalogue featured essays and fond writings by Alison de Lima Greene, William C. Agee, Emily L. Todd, Alexandra L. Irvine and more. The artist’s trust actively works with curators, gallerists and collectors to continue the exhibition and collection of Utterback’s work, demonstrating his life and career as an essential part of Texas art history. Utterback’s work has been exhibited in galleries nationally and in Europe in both solo and group exhibitions. His work is in collections of the Menil Collection, Houston, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the McNay Art Museum, as well as numerous other public and private collections in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and elsewhere. Utterback’s work has been covered in prominent publications such as Art in America, ARTnews, Texas Monthly, Artweek, Houston Chronicle and Houston Press.Born in the small town of Holton, Kansas, Utterback graduated from Rice University with a bachelor's degree in fine arts in 1971 and specialized in abstract painting. Utterback's works were displayed in other parts of the United States and the world.[2] Houston museums that displayed his works include the Menil Collection and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Donahue/Sosinski Art in New York City showcased some of Utterback's works.
Often described as a "painter's painter", Utterback was a contemporary abstract artist and an integral part of the Houston art community for more than thirty years. Utterback's body of work varied from monochromatic planes emphasizing surface and light, to deconstructed, three-dimensional reliefs in which paint and plaster were layered directly upon the wooden substrate of the canvas. Drawing played a more dominant role in his later work, and he explored line and gesture by painting on unprimed canvas.
Death
At around 6:30 P.M. on March 29, a fire erupted in a 2,880-square-foot (268 m2) metal warehouse in the 2300 block of Grant Street near Fairview in the Neartown area of Houston. Utterback became unconscious and was extracted from the burning building. Fifty-seven-year-old Utterback died of his injuries on March 30 at the Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center; his death was pronounced at 6:05 A.M.
On April 2, 2007, investigators found that 56-year-old Clifford David Gaylord, Utterback's roommate, fatally stabbed Utterback before setting the fire. Policemen found Gaylord seriously injured on March 30 at 100 Heights Boulevard after Gaylord attempted to commit suicide by being hit by a train. Gaylord, admitted to Ben Taub General Hospital, died of his injuries at 6:07 A.M.
Source: wikipedia
American , (1949–2007)
Born in the small town of Holton, Kansas, Robin Utterback graduated with a B.A. from Rice University in 1971 and returned as the first student in Rice's Bachelor of Fine Arts program, receiving his B.F.A. in 1974. Utterback quickly became an essential thread in the fabric of the burgeoning Houston art scene. A year after graduating, Utterback had his first solo exhibition at Tibor de Nagy Gallery in Houston (later Watson/de Nagy & Co.) and would later go on to exhibit in the New York location of the gallery.
In 1978, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston made their first acquisition of Utterback’s work, which marked the beginning of a fruitful relationship between the institution and Utterback. The museum collection holds paintings, numerous works on paper and a suite of etchings by Utterback, and would work with him on various projects. Utterback’s work was included in the seminal 1985 exhibition and publication Fresh Paint, an exhibition of artists deeply connected to Houston that went on to travel to MoMa PS1 and the Oklahoma Art Center, in Oklahoma City.Often in dialogue with other artists, poets, writers and art historians, Utterback continued to explore the depths of artistic possibilities in various media. From the early 1990s through the early 2000s, Utterback collaborated with fellow artists to create energetic prints, paintings and textiles. During a 2004 tenure in Strasbourg, Utterback began a new series of works incorporating images of masks in his collages and paintings. Following Utterback’s death in 2007, Galveston Arts Center curator Clint Willour celebrated Utterback’s life and work with the acclaimed exhibition, Remembering Robin Utterback. The exhibition catalogue featured essays and fond writings by Alison de Lima Greene, William C. Agee, Emily L. Todd, Alexandra L. Irvine and more. The artist’s trust actively works with curators, gallerists and collectors to continue the exhibition and collection of Utterback’s work, demonstrating his life and career as an essential part of Texas art history. Utterback’s work has been exhibited in galleries nationally and in Europe in both solo and group exhibitions. His work is in collections of the Menil Collection, Houston, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the McNay Art Museum, as well as numerous other public and private collections in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and elsewhere. Utterback’s work has been covered in prominent publications such as Art in America, ARTnews, Texas Monthly, Artweek, Houston Chronicle and Houston Press.Born in the small town of Holton, Kansas, Utterback graduated from Rice University with a bachelor's degree in fine arts in 1971 and specialized in abstract painting. Utterback's works were displayed in other parts of the United States and the world.[2] Houston museums that displayed his works include the Menil Collection and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Donahue/Sosinski Art in New York City showcased some of Utterback's works.
Often described as a "painter's painter", Utterback was a contemporary abstract artist and an integral part of the Houston art community for more than thirty years. Utterback's body of work varied from monochromatic planes emphasizing surface and light, to deconstructed, three-dimensional reliefs in which paint and plaster were layered directly upon the wooden substrate of the canvas. Drawing played a more dominant role in his later work, and he explored line and gesture by painting on unprimed canvas.
Death
At around 6:30 P.M. on March 29, a fire erupted in a 2,880-square-foot (268 m2) metal warehouse in the 2300 block of Grant Street near Fairview in the Neartown area of Houston. Utterback became unconscious and was extracted from the burning building. Fifty-seven-year-old Utterback died of his injuries on March 30 at the Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center; his death was pronounced at 6:05 A.M.
On April 2, 2007, investigators found that 56-year-old Clifford David Gaylord, Utterback's roommate, fatally stabbed Utterback before setting the fire. Policemen found Gaylord seriously injured on March 30 at 100 Heights Boulevard after Gaylord attempted to commit suicide by being hit by a train. Gaylord, admitted to Ben Taub General Hospital, died of his injuries at 6:07 A.M.
Source: wikipedia
Artist Objects
Untitled 2007.039
Artist Images