Dike Blair was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania in 1952. Blair has always been a careful observer of scenes. His paintings of hotel lobbies, full ashtrays, car interiors, and glistening glasses of champagne amount to a compendium of luxury-class still life. His installations tend to capture less rarefied atmospheres: in one early-’90s project, he transformed a gallery space into a corporate waiting room, focusing on the familiar bland decor (mauve carpeting, metal chairs, muzak) that is meant to elicit a sense of comfort.
The artist is also a writer and has been associated with the Paris-based fashion/culture magazine Purple since its inception. A few of years ago the French publication was featured in an exhibition at the Centre Georges Pompidou whose subject was ostensibly the exploration of dreams, but like Purple itself, the show was really about ambience, the beauty of atmosphere. Blair’s work is rooted in just that sensibility.
1974 – Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, Me
1975 – University of Colorado
1976 – Whitney Museum independent study program, New York
1977 – School of the Art Institute of Chicago; MFA
The Shifting Foundation, Grant
Rome Prize, The American Academy in Rome
John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship
The Louis Comfort Tiffany Fellowship
Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation/NEA Regional Fellowship, Works on Paper
Still Lifes from 1988 to 1997, D’Amelio Terras, New York
Blondeau Fine Art Services, Geneva, Switzerland
Feature Inc., New York
Mary Goldman, Los Angeles
The Suburban, Oak Park, IL
Paintings / Prints / Sculpture, SEAD Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
Feature Inc., New York
Prints, Volume, New York
Ideal Office #2, Outcasts Inc., Paris
Allston Skirt Gallery, Boston
Feature Inc., New York
Works on Paper, Los Angeles (catalogue)
Please select page(s) to create PDF and arrange it by dragging up/down accordingly.