Hernan Bas, "The Great Barrier Wreath,” 2006, acrylic, gouache and oil pastel on linen over three panels; 66 by 144 1/8 inches. Rubell Family Collection, Miami.
:Thirty-eight works of art in various media from one of Miami's most celebrated young artists, Hernan Bas, will be featured in a solo exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum. This exhibition will be on view February 27 to May 24.
"Hernan Bas: Works from the Rubell Family Collection" draws from art collected over the past ten years by the Rubell family.
Bas has a great fascination with historical painting, popular fiction, Goth culture and Nineteenth Century dandyism. Using these influences, his paintings often depict androgynous boys on the edge of adulthood in narratives drawn from Oscar Wilde, Joris-Karl Huysmans and other writers of the Aesthetic or Decadent period. Inspired by these authors, Bas creates his own romantic mythologies from a perspective that explores masculinity and gay culture.
Designed like the chapters of a book, this exhibition presents the development of Bas in a manner that can be read symbolically and literally. One of his earliest series, inspired by the
Hardy Boys
mystery books, depicts a young adventurous duo exploring atmospheric scenes — dark caves, woods and mysterious interiors. The eerie settings and unresolved narratives connect Bas's two recurring characters in an intimate and sexually charged relationship.
His later work involves more colorful and richly painted surfaces that place contemporary-looking men in historical environments. "The Swan Prince," 2004, presents the Bavarian King Ludwig II, as a bare-chested young man, floating in a half shell pulled by three swans. Bas's more recent artwork includes the large-scale, dense mixed-media work, "The Great Barrier Wreath," 2006, a three-panel painting of men, swans and flamingos in a style reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch; and a mixed-media installation, "Ocean's Symphony," 2007 that reimagines the hoax of the Fiji mermaid with a mermaid replica lying in a casket surrounded by nautical objects and video projections.
"Hernan Bas: Works from the Rubell Family Collection" was organized by Mark Coetzee, director of the Rubell Family Collection; the Brooklyn Museum presentation is coordinated by Charles Desmarais, deputy director for art. The exhibition is also accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog published by the Rubell Family Collection.
The Brooklyn Art Museum is at 200 Eastern Parkway. For information, 718-638-5000 or
www.brooklynmuseum.org
.
