Gary Baseman:
The Garden of Unearthly Delights

Gallery I
Solo Exhibit

Opening reception - Saturday, September 10th, 6pm-9pm

September 10, 2005 through October 8, 2005

NEW YORK, NY: Jonathan LeVine Gallery is pleased to present The Garden of Unearthly Delights the latest invention by Gary Baseman. The exhibition will be on view from September 10^th until October 8^th. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, September 10^th from 6-9pm.

For The Garden of Unearthly Delights, Baseman taps into the idthe part of the psyche which contains our primitive impulses such as sex, anger, and hunger. Influenced by “The Garden of Earthly Delights” a renaissance masterpiece by Hieronymous Bosch, Baseman delves deeper into the “pleasure principle” introducing us to little demons and devils that act out our most suppressed impulses and desires. One such demon is Hotchachacha. Bosch’s work has always been a source of inspiration for Baseman. For his first New York Times Book Review Cover, he created a detail of a flower protruding from a man’s rear end, which drew criticism from the Book Review’s art director. The main painting for this exhibition is a diptych that recalls the story, this time with a devil.

Gary Baseman straddles the worlds of fine art and commerce, creating what he calls “Pervasive Art.” Pervasive artists, he believes, use both the channels of mass media TV, Film, Print, and fine art art galleries and museums to infiltrate contemporary life. Baseman continues to blur the lines of fine art and pop culture by creating a limited edition vinyl figure of Hotchachachaa little devil that deflowers angels by stealing their haloswhich will be offered at a later date.

Gary Baseman is an award winning illustrator, painter and animator. He was the creator and executive producer of Disney’s “Teacher’s Pet” which earned him both an Emmy and a BAFTA. His work has appeared in Time Magazine, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, GQ, Forbes, Reader’s Digest, and the Atlantic Monthly. His illustrations have also been used for the best selling game “Cranium.” As a fine artist, Baseman’s works have appeared in solo gallery exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo, and can be seen at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC and the Museum of Modern Art in Rome. His playful characters have truly invaded popular culture. A feat recognized by Entertainment Weekly, who recently named Baseman one of the 100 Most Creative People in Entertainment.