| Lowbrow | |
|---|---|
 Tiki Cat, lowbrow art byBrad Parker | |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Location | United States |
| Major figures | |
| Influences | Pop art,surrealism |
| Influenced | Designer toys |
Lowbrow, orlowbrow art, is anundergroundvisual art movement that arose in theLos Angeles, California area in the late 1960s.[1] It is a populist art movement with its cultural roots inunderground comix,punk music,tiki culture,graffiti, andhot-rod cultures of the street.[2] It is also often known by the namepop surrealism.[3] Lowbrow art often has a sense of humor—sometimes the humor is gleeful, impish, or a sarcastic comment.[4]
Most lowbrow artworks arepaintings, but there are alsotoys,digital art, andsculpture.
Some of the first artists to create what came to be known as lowbrow art were underground cartoonists likeRobert Williams andGary Panter. Barry McGee,Margaret Kilgallen, Dan "Plasma" Rauch, and Camilla Elke were amongst the first to pioneer Lowbrow as a street art, zine, fashion, graffiti, and counter culture movement. The purpose of the lowbrow movement was to take an unorthodox approach to art and to completely defy its "rules". This resulted in pushback from significant individuals and organizations in the art industry.[5] Early shows were in alternativegalleries in New York and Los Angeles such as Psychedelic Solutions Gallery inGreenwich Village, New York City which was run byJacaeber Kastor,[6]La Luz de Jesus run by Billy Shire[7] and01 gallery in Hollywood, run by John Pochna.[6] The movement steadily grew from its beginning, with hundreds of artists adopting this style. As the number of artists grew, so did the number of galleries showing lowbrow. In 1992, Greg Escalante helped orchestrate the first formal gallery exhibition to take lowbrow art seriously: painterAnthony Ausgang's solo show "Looney Virtues" at the Julie Rico Gallery inSanta Monica. The Bess Cutler Gallery also went on to show important artists and helped expand the kind of art that was classified as lowbrow. The lowbrow magazineJuxtapoz, launched in 1994 by Robert Williams, Greg Escalante, andEric Swenson, has been a mainstay of writing on lowbrow art and has helped shape and expand the movement.[8]
In an article in the February 2006 issue of his magazineJuxtapoz, Robert Williams took credit for originating the term "lowbrow art". He stated that in 1979Gilbert Shelton of the publisherRip Off Press decided to produce a book featuring Willams' paintings. Williams said he decided to give the book the self-deprecating titleThe Lowbrow Art of Robt. Williams, since no authorized art institution would recognize his type of art. "Lowbrow" was thus used by Williams in opposition to "highbrow". He said the name then stuck, even though he feels it is inappropriate. Williams refers to the movement as "cartoon-tainted abstract surrealism."[9] Lately, Williams has begun referring to his own work as "Conceptual Realism".[10]
