Gail Potocki is an immensely talented contemporary Symbolist painter whose artwork is daringly original and yet evocative of the great painters of the 19th Century.  Metallica is arguably the most successful American heavy metal band ever and their long career has been rewarded with multiple awards, bestselling albums, and a worldwide fan base.  Who would have predicted that two seemingly different creative forces would come together?

Today, January 20th, 2012, one of Gail’s paintings will be prominently featured at the opening of an art exhibition held at Exhibit A Gallery.  The exhibition is called Obey Your Master:  Art Tribute to Metallica and will showcase a diverse group of artists with eclectic influences as they use the visual medium to pay homage to the popular metal band’s songs.  Each piece of artwork will be an interpretation or celebration of one of Metallica’s songs.  While Gail’s painting for this show has been revealed on the gallery’s website, the title of the painting has been kept a mystery to all until the showing.

Here is her painting,  “Through the Never“,  inspired by the song of the same name of the self-titled fifth album by Metallica.

"Through the Never" by Gail Potocki (2011, Oil on linen, custom frame).

“All that is, was and will be
Universe much too big to see
Time and space never ending
Disturbing thoughts, questions pending
Limitations of human understanding

Too quick to criticize
Obligation to survive
We hunger to be alive

Twisting, turning through the never
All that is, ever
Ever was, will be, ever
Twisting, turning through the never“
– Metallica in the song “Through the Never“

When asked why she chose this particular song, Gail answered, “I chose this song because it had somewhat vague and abstract lyrics and fit well with how I like to approach my paintings.“  She went on to explain the symbolic motifs in her painting and how they correlate with the lyrics.  “The lyrics of this song seem to be meditations on the idea of eternity and mortality and that was the direction that I took this painting in.  For example, the octopus has been used in many cultures to represent the unconscious and the universe, so I placed the tentacles behind the woman to represent the never ending cosmos.”

A detail from Gail Potocki's "Through the Never" showing in close-up: the tentacle, the black bird, the woman with the poppies, and the needle passing through her hand.

Detail of "Through the Never" in which the lifeline thread can be seen tightly wound around the woman's thumb, cutting off her circulation, and foreshadowing her demise.

“The red poppies strung around her neck are a symbol of oblivion.  One end of the string is wrapped around her finger and it begins to turn blue.  This foreshadows the inescapable inevitability of death.  The needle, on which the poppies are thread, pierces through the lifeline on the woman’s right hand while her blood flows down and in to the mouth of the black bird below.  This to me represents the continuous cycle and flow of all life.”

Another detail of Potocki's "Through the Never". This one shows the precision with which she created the black bird that is both the ultimate manifestation of the beginning, the end, and a new beginning... life, death, and rebirth.

“The broken egg on the tail of this bird represents renewal and birth.  I used a blue light radiating from a unidentified source on the left side of the painting to further represent the idea of the mysterious unknown.  I tried to have a reason for everything in this painting;  there is very little that was included for aesthetic purposes alone.“

Looking over Symbolist and Art Nouveau works of the past can provide further insight into Gail’s masterful approach to her painting.

In Carlos Schwabe's "Spleen et Idéal" (1896), one can see similar visual motifs such as the violent waters, the menacing and inescapable tentacles, and the wings. This painting by Schwabe, was by no coincidence, also inspired by another medium. Its themes and title were appropriated from Charles Baudelaire's poem found in his book "Les Fleurs du Mal" (The Flowers of Evil), which deals with decadence, sensuality and the inevitability of death.

In this Jugendstil poster for "Frommes Kalender" by Koloman Moser, you can see a combination of Symbolist and Art Nouveau styles. The Ouroboros (the circular self-devouring serpent) is an ancient symbol that is often found in Hermetic iconography. It can represent numerous ideas such as the ongoing cycle of life in which the older generation is consumed by the younger generation, or spiritual renewal, but it has also been used by some to suggest the transcendental concept of the psyche overcoming the limitations of the body or the physical world. In this case, the ouroboros is accompanied by an hourglass, a symbol of time and mortality, while the beautiful woman dressed in dark could be interpreted as holding it as the key to her own longevity.

After acknowledging the long tradition of artists interpreting music, lyrics, and poetry into visual medium I became curious as to what Gail’s favorite example of this might be.  Here’s what she had to say: “All the 19th century Symbolist painters were heavily influenced by the literature and poetry of their times.  I love so much of it, but I am particularly fond of Fernand Khnopff‘s ‘I Lock the Door Upon Myself‘ which was inspired by Christina Rossetti‘s poem ‘Who Shall Deliver Me?‘  His painting pays homage to her work but is an incredible painting in its own right.“

Fernand Khnopff's 1891 painting "I Lock the Door Upon Myself" inspired by poet Christina Rossetti's poem "Who Shall Deliver Me?" written in 1876. Khnopff was a Belgian Symbolist painter and he followed very much in the footsteps of the British Pre-Raphaelite movement, of which Christina Rossetti's brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, was a founding member.

Gail’s painting “Through the Never” and other contemporary works of art inspired by Metallica can be viewed at Exhibit A Gallery during the public viewing from January 23rd – March 23rd.

Exhibit A Gallery
Address: 1086 South Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90019
Phone #: (323) 954-7295
Open Monday – Saturday: 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
For more info, please visit:  http://www.exhibitagallery.com/

– Sean

"The Griffon" (Ink on paper, 2009) is but one example of Jeremy A. Bastian's love of the mythical and necessity for detail.

Unless you’re a diehard comic book enthusiast or an avid student of art history, it might at first be difficult to imagine what comics and fine art really have in common.  Comics tend to be denigrated as merely pop culture kitsch or kids’ stuff.  And with all of the superheroes in colorful costumes, the Saturday morning cartoons, and the whole hub of merchandising aimed at children and adolescents, it’s not hard to see why someone might arrive at such a conclusion.  On the other hand, fine art has been elevated to the pinnacle of creative innovation and self-expression for most cultures around the globe.

Another example of Bastian's detailed and whimsical take on classic mythical creatures: "The Manticore" (Ink on paper, 2009).

If you ask any true comic book fan if there’s more to the medium in terms of artistic or literary merits, they will promptly and adamantly attempt to persuade you of the cultural and social significance of comics.  Similarly, not all comic fans may have an appreciation or understanding on the finer points of classical art much to the chagrin of art critics.  Yet, there is a strong correlation between the two, though neither group of enthusiasts will necessarily admit to it.  So, how does one bridge antiquity with modernity, the past with the present, and unite two groups of people who may have more in common than either recognize?
The answer is simple:  Jeremy A. Bastian.

Jeremy Bastian isn’t your typical artist by any means.  Not only is he the creator, writer, and illustrator of the increasingly popular indie comic Cursed Pirate Girl, he’s also an extraordinarily talented and dedicated artist outside of the medium.  What makes his work so special is that Jeremy’s influences are multi-generational.  They span not only different eras of art, but different genres and mediums as well.  His work is distinct not only its style and aesthetic which is informed by the classic illustrators of the 19th and 20th centuries, but also by such diverse sources as medieval, Renaissance, and comic book artists.  While many comic book artists look to other comic book artists for inspiration, Jeremy acknowledges a wider range of artistic inspiration than many and derives that inspiration from varied material.  Looking over his art, one can see traces of classic illustrators like Richard Dadd, John Tenniel, Gustave Doré, and Arthur Rackham, but also strong elements found in certain medieval artists’ work, such as Martin Schongauer and Hieronymus Bosch.

"Griffin" by Martin Schongauer.

A detail of Bastian's "The Griffon" shows just how much effort goes into a single artwork. This piece, measuring less than an 8.5 x 11" sheet of paper, was created using his signature technique of fine lines of ink laid down using single-haired brushes. Gustav Doré would approve!

"The Jabberwock" by John Tenniel, from "Through the Looking-Glass", foreshadows Jeremy's combination of childlike whimsy and grotesque fantasy creatures.

But Jeremy’s work is so much more than just the sum of its parts or the accumulative result of work by earlier artists.  His own unique sensibilities and personality shine through.  His skillful hand rivals and even surpasses those of many of his predecessors and contemporaries.

Jeremy was kind enough to take time out and sit down to do an interview with me over the phone.  I thought it might be interesting for others to learn a bit about Jeremy and to (re-)introduce them to him and his artwork.  Here’s part of that interview:

Sean:
How did you meet Thomas [Negovan] and become involved with Century Guild and Olympian Publishing?

Jeremy:
At the time I had been trying to self-publish Cursed Pirate Girl.  I had showed it to a friend of mine, Douglas Klauba, and he showed it to his friend Tom.  He had said, “I have to get a hold of this guy,” and it wasn’t until a Wizard World show that we met.  He had said, “You know I’ve been trying to email you…  I’ve been publishing a couple of books and I’d really like to publish yours”.

At that time I had already signed with Archaia because I was first going to do the books through Archaia, but it was going to be in color since they had only published color books at that time.  They wanted to see it in color, but I really wanted it as a black and white book; that’s how I saw it.  I had even started to color it.  I had colored Issues #1 and #2, but then they had some slight problems within the company [Archaia was bought by Kunoichi in 2008], and by that time I had been talking with Tom a lot more.  He had come over and visited where we were living in Michigan and bought a bunch of my original art.

Basically, so I could cut back on my hours at my part-time job and concentrate more on working on the book and getting more artwork done, when Archaia was having their internal problems, Mark Smylie from Archaia said, “If you want to shop your book around to other publishers, feel free to.  I’m really sorry that all this is happening.”  Then Tom just made me an offer that I couldn’t refuse.  He really saw it as a black and white book and he got what it was all about – the sense and style and aesthetic – and that’s how I first started out with my books coming out from Olympian.

Jeremy A. Bastian's colossally epic and extraordinarily detailed masterpiece, "The Sacking of the Royal City of Cub" (Ink on paper, 2011), made exclusively for the patrons of his unprecedented Kickstarter campaign. This monumental piece was created over the course of three months and features a plethora of eccentric characters from the "Cursed Pirate Girl" universe. Looking over this, one might require the aid of a magnifying glass, or even a microscope, to appreciate the level of detail in the intricacies of the line work. Even the smallest portions are full of narrative imagery and characters. No detail is arbitrary!

Sean:
What made you realize you wanted to pursue a career as an artist?

Jeremy:
Well, I knew that I had wanted to do that since I was like six, you know.  It was really the only thing I could do.  I didn’t have too many friends in school and whatnot, so drawing was the one thing that I did that got me a little bit of attention and made me feel like I had a purpose.  I had a cousin who was into comics and was into Uncanny X-Men and she knew all about stuff like that.  So, she really introduced me to comics and she even had her own little self-published comic she was working on, and I just thought that was amazing!  I was like, “Oh, wow!”  So, when she would babysit me and my brother, she’d show us issues.  She was copying the style of Marc Silvestri like perfectly, so I started to do that and began to build up [knowledge] of anatomy and all that, and just knew that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Sean:
Who would you cite as being some of your greatest inspirations or influences in terms of developing your own unique aesthetic and style?

Jeremy:
It has been a long journey as far as that goes.  My favorite comic book artist is Mike Mignola and I didn’t get into Mike’s work until pretty late into Hellboy.  I think he had three or four graphic novels of Hellboy out and lots of people were talking about him, so I decided to check it out.  Once I picked up one, I immediately had to go back and pick up more and as the others came out I bought those.  It was almost like an addiction and I just had to get more because it was the first time I had seen something in comics that I really considered artwork.  I love comic book art, and Jim Lee and Arthur Adams and those guys, and that was comic book storytelling art.  But then when I started reading Hellboy; it was just ‘wow.’  He put so much into it and there’s so much atmosphere and it’s so iconic.  Very graphic.

I went to school for graphic design in Pittsburgh , but I wanted to do comics.  They showed me a couple of samples for comic book pages and some of the work for their graphic design course, and that’s how I decided to go there.  I kind of tried to ink in Mike’s style for a while, and I tried to ink like Arthur Adams as well, but it wasn’t until I was working in an art store in Ypsilanti, where I grew up, that I really started getting into Arthur Rackham, Gustave Doré, and Albrecht Dürer.  They had all these reference books that they were in and their stuff was just amazing.  It’s sort of where Cursed Pirate Girl comes from now, being mainly influenced from old etchings and wood-cut blocks.

Jeremy cites Gustave Doré as one of his influences. One can see the same incredible attention to detail in Doré's illustration, such as this one entitled "The Empyrean" from Dante's "Paradiso". Like Doré, Jeremy is intent upon creating the most intricate line work and he is easily as methodical... perhaps more so.

Sean:
Are you also a fan of Harry Clarke?

Jeremy:
Oh, yeah.  I recently discovered him.  There are a lot of artists and illustrators that I was very bummed that I hadn’t heard about them earlier when I was going to school.  I took an illustration cert track and they never covered a lot of these guys like Franklin Booth, Harry Clarke, Walter Crane, and H.J. Ford.  There’s just a whole bunch of artists that I’ve come across, and then discovered other artists through following other artists’ work and from getting children’s books and anthology books with illustrations from different artists.  Some of my more contemporary influences are children’s book illustrators like Gennady Spirin, Olga Dugina, and Andrej Dugin, or Kinuko Craft.  They’re these great illustrators that have a kind of old-time feel to them.  And there are other artists that I really like, like Vania Zouravliov and Aaron Horkey.  I actually had the great fortune to meet Aaron Horkey at the San Diego Comic-Con this past year and it was great talking to him and gushing over his work.  He’s another really nice gentleman…  does wonderful line art.

(Detail from Jeremy A. Bastian's "The Last Witch's Head at the Wall of Man's Demise") It's in the strange characters such as these that you can see similarities with Bosch and his bizarre denizens of Hell.

Jeremy A. Bastian's macabre masterpiece for the "Grand Guignol II - HÄXAN" show, "The Last Witch's Head at the Wall of Man's Demise" (Ink on paper, 2011). While some artists are content to spend a weekend on a particular painting or drawing, Jeremy thrives on pushing himself to create the most elaborate and intricate work. Sometimes this means that he will spend months on creating a single piece, but the result is, as you can see, breathtaking.

Sean:
For Century Guild’s exhibition, Grand Guignol II: HÄXAN– Satan + The Women Who Love Him, you created an elaborately detailed piece entitled “The Last Witch’s Head at the Wall of Man’s Demise”.  Could you walk me through the process of how you came up with the idea for this piece and how you created it?

Jeremy:
I did a small pencil illustration of a vulture-like creature with a skull for a head and blades hanging from his wings a long time ago and Tom really liked that.  He told me I should do a whole vulture piece.  He wanted me to do that.  I decided to do a full-size vulture piece and this was right after the poster I did as an added extra for Kickstarter.  In that I had done a lot of rock work or stone work, so I really liked the idea of doing a weird wall with skulls and moss crawling up it.  So, for three months it was me sort of channeling my inner Bosch as far as the foreground characters go.  I just wanted to make it bizarre…  and keep it in line with previous work I had done.

(Detail from Jeremy A. Bastian's "The Last Witch's Head at the Wall of Man's Demise") Crowned with the ribcage of some unfortunate soul, the Bird of Death stares out of empty eye sockets casting a menacing gaze over the goings on below.

Sean:
Now, your work is incredibly detailed, both in regards to your intricate line work as well as to the multitude of characters and visual motifs that  you use, so how long does it take you to complete a piece on average?

Jeremy:
Well, it has changed since when I first started.  I think I was much quicker, but I can’t remember exactly how quickly it was.  I do know that now it takes about a week per page.  I got more obsessed with just how much detail I can put into things.  I think for book one, I was using a size zero brush and now I’m working with a double zero brush, so I use a much smaller brush sometimes.  For me, it’s a personal challenge to see how much I can put into something and try to outdo the last page I did and to have an evolutionary process.  That’s why I’m afraid sometimes that I’ll never get it done.  I know that I will get it done, but it will take a long time, and I hope that many of my fans will decide to stick in there because they want to see it in print.

(Detail from Jeremy A. Bastian's "The Last Witch's Head at the Wall of Man's Demise") Surrounded by miscreants of innumerable varieties and clutched in the hands of a cloven goblin: The Last Witch's Head!

Sean:
How would you describe your overall experience with Century Guild?

Jeremy:
I love everybody at Century Guild.  I think that Tom really believes in the artwork, in the character [of Cursed Pirate Girl], and in me as an artist.  He’s more into the art world, so he knows how long it can take, and that it’s hard to make a living at what you do when it’s a slow process, especially in the comic book world.  So, he helped to get me into the gallery.

Part of my goal as a little kid was to be an artist, and I thought that being a comic book artist was probably the easiest way to do that, to draw for a living.  It seemed to me, that to be a “gallery artist” there was more chance [being riskier than commercial art in the comic book field] to that.  You just have to know the right people and no matter what degree of talent you have, you can still slip through.  And with a comic book job it seemed like you could actually make a living.  So, they’ve been great… I’ve been really lucky.

…

Jeremy Bastian’s work is available from Century Guild; to inquire about purchasing works, visit the website HERE or email the gallery directly HERE.
– Sean

"Harper's Magazine, 1892" Eugène Grasset (1845-1917) (Lithograph from Les Affiches étrangères, 1897)

The Holidays are in full swing, and we at Century Guild wanted to extend our sincerest appreciation and well wishes to those of you who have supported what we’ve done throughout the year. We have some very exciting things on the horizon for next year, things that we know you will want to be a part of! (To be added to our mailing list, just click HERE!)

- The Century Guild staff

CENTURY GUILD
2041 West Carroll, C-220
Chicago, IL 60612

SATURDAY, December 10th &
SUNDAY, December 11th
10a.m. – 5p.m

"La Loïe Fuller at Folies Bergère" Jules Cheret, 1897

Century Guild opens its doors and welcomes you to a special holiday sale unlike any other! The two-day only shopping event in the style of the Parisian flea markets, Century Guild will have a gorgeous selection of antique Art Nouveau, Belle Epoque, and Art Deco posters and lithographs from 1880-1920, 1940s and 1950s movie posters, plus vintage jewellery and accessories at unbelievable prices — original posters from the 1890s as low as $75! Come find a special and rare gift for you or a loved one!

Can’t make it but you’d still like to partake in this exclusive sale? Visit CENTURYGUILD.NET this Saturday, where items from the sale will be on display and available for purchase!

This is far and away my favorite show I’ve curated.  Ever.

As of this moment all works are available.  I’ll do my best to check my email, THOMAS at CENTURYGUILD dot NET throughout the day and night but your best bet is to be at the opening.

To load easily, I just used thumbnails- click on them for a larger image.  I hope you’re sitting down for this…

-Thomas

Egon Schiele and Dean Karr

Grand Guignol II: Haxan at Century Guild

Malleus, Potocki, Wolfrom, Schnackenberg, Potocki, Fraipoint, Hussar, Mars.

An opinion on organized religion from 1914...

Gail Potocki "Low" $5500

Austin Young "Diamanda Galás" $1900

Dean Karr "Prague Twins" $2400

Mars, Holst, Toso, Schwabe.

Hussar and Mars, both available.

Klimt, Hohenstein, Malleus, Potocki, Wolfrom, Schnackenberg

Kahler, Wahliss, Zsolnay and other Symbolist artifacts pre-1905

Dachsel and Schwabe, all c. 1895

Carlos Schwabe "Destruction"

Jeremy Bastian- original ink work surrounded by enlarged details. Because we all don't carry magnifying glasses and he is not what you would call sane. Tiny, tiny, tiny brush lines. This has a great title but it's long and I can't remember it at 3 am.

More Symbolist objects and the largest Gail Potocki painting, ever: "Seedlings". Available.

Fenneker, Goedde, Orazi, Heine, and Matejko

McKean, more McKean, Kley, and Potocki

Malleus "Hurt" and McKean "Faust"

Malleus: "Hurt" silkscreen

Symbolist statuary, c. 1898.

"Your first look at 'HÄXAN - Satan + The Women who love Him'"

Just over 40 hours until decadent Hell is unleashed upon Chicago…

Austin Young’s 1999 portrait of avant-garde diva Diamanda Galás lures you in to bear witness to the sensual horrors Century Guild has curated; Georges de Feure’s 1893 Japonist conjuration of wickedness “Friends of the Devil in the Flesh” and Gustav Klimt’s ultra-seductive “The Witch” (1919)  are but a few of the number of important works documenting magical women.

If you look closely, you can also see Italian Art Nouveau master Adolfo Hohenstein next to modern Italian artists Malleus, painter Gail Potocki, and sculptor Stanislav Szukalski adding to the ambiance…

If you’re in Chicago, you DO NOT want to miss what we have in store for you.  For more information, click HERE.

–j

A brief glimpse at some of our latest acquisitions for THIS SATURDAY’S exhibition, “Grand Guignol II: HÄXAN – Satan + The Women who love Him”.

The first, from painter Michael Hussar:

"American Teet" by Michael Hussar

"The Devil & His Consort", 1883

“Amongst the furniture of F. Toso in the next gallery there are a number of figures, life size, carved in coloured woods in a realistic manner for hall decoration, than which it would be more difficult to conceive anything more disagreeable, or to imagine where and to whom they could give the slightest pleasure. One of these is a fiend with hoofs and horns in elaborate evening dress, holding out a plate for the reception of cards; another is a female to match, offering a ring. The vulgarity and hideousness might poison the taste and fine artistic feelings of a child for a lifetime, and shake the nerves of a sensitive person in any house in which they might be found.“

You’ll have to wait until the 22nd of October to see them in all their decadent glory. To present inquiries about placing them in your art collection, email us at inquiries@centuryguild.net.

Hope to see you Saturday.
–j

 

One of the many vintage gems in our Haute Campe sale: "X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes" 40 x 60 inches

CLICK HERE FOR THE HAUTE CAMPE POSTER LIQUIDATION SALE!

Our (ill-behaved) sister company, HAUTE CAMPE, is liquidating a large selection of posters from its inventory at unbelievable prices.  Read on and take advantage of this limited time offer:

Printed on high quality card stock, with resolution 5x sharper than a standard 27″ x 41″ movie poster. These 30″ x 40″ and 40″ x 60″ posters make up less than 5% of the print run to advertise a movie, and are extremely rare.

Take home your very own SHE-FREAK! Original vintage drive-in poster for "She-Freak", 40 x 60 inches

Unlike the 27″ x 41″ movie posters that were originally shipped folded, this higher quality poster has no horizontal or vertical folds or creases, and will be shipped to you rolled in order to maintain its integrity. Please feel free to email us with any questions, but as we are liquidating this collection of posters we can’t provide more details on condition than the photos provide. The condition of each poster varies, many were used at drive-ins and show some wear commensurate with the age of the poster, all will frame beautifully.

We are a gallery specializing in finely printed artworks 1880-1920, and while we have always loved these kinds of movies, we always felt uncomfortable about recommending any artworks that were as poorly printed as “regular movie posters”. The 1950s 30″ x 40″ and 40″ x 60″ posters are printed on a paper that is kin to Imperial Japon in fine printmaking, and rather than being absorbed into the paper, the inks are clearly baked onto the surface resulting in an incredibly superior print. Many of the 30″ x 40″ 1950s posters also have inks that are closer to silkscreen colors, and are vibrant and dense. In the 1960s the paper moved to a heavier weight and still the same on-top-of-the-surface color. From the 1940s through the 1970s, the screens used to print the posters are of a clarity and detail that is at least 500% sharper than the standard 27″ x 41″ movie poster. In short, these are infinitely more beautiful, and since they are SO much rarer, I think they’re the best artifacts from this period of pop culture- as you know if you’ve visited us, they actually hold up in our gallery next to prints by Gustav Klimt and Toulouse-Lautrec. We LOVE these posters, we just don’t have the space to properly display them and are focusing our attentions on contemporary music and art projects, so to make room here we are selling them at below wholesale prices this season. Please check out our other auctions for other explorations into questionable subject matters including burlesque, horror, hot rods, witchcraft, gay interest, blaxploitation, beach movies, grindhouse cinema, and just plain old beautiful vintage graphics! To purchase any of these classic film posters, email chandra [at] centuryguild.net

Never been folded... "Hell's Belles", 30 x 40 inches

Century Guild invites you to investigate the dark and sensual wilderness of two of history’s most vilified figures: THE WITCH and her dark master, SATAN.  “Grand Guignol II: HÄXAN – Satan + The Women who love Him” explores not only turn-of-the-century artists’ fascination with these embodiments of evil, but also brings together a roster of acclaimed contemporary artists who’ve rendered their dark visions for a one night only special exhibition.  This event marks the one-year anniversary of Century Guild’s showroom, which opened its doors in Chicago’s industrial Kinzie District last October for the beyond capacity show, “Grand Guignol: An Exhibition Celebrating the Legendary Parisian Theater of Terror.”

Artworks include original historical posters from the French theater of terror Le Théâtre du Grand Guignol, antique works on paper by Gustav Klimt and Alphonse Mucha, a selection of 19th century Devil imagery, and modern contributions from contemporary painters Dave McKean (cover illustrator of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman), Michael Hussar, Gail Potocki, and Chris Mars; photographers Dean Karr (video director for Marilyn Manson), Austin Young, and Steve Diet Goedde; Italian poster art collective Malleus, and more.

The event will take place October 22^nd, 2011 at Century Guild (2041 W. Carroll, C-220.)  The event is open to the public from 7-10 pm, and formal or dramatic costume attire is required.  No one under 21 will be admitted.

Century Guild was founded in 1999, and specializes in artworks 1880-1920, with emphasis on Art Nouveau & Symbolism.  They have placed artworks in museums and top collections around the world.  Works previously in the Century Guild inventory are on permanent display in The Art Institute of Chicago, The Detroit Institute of Arts, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The Century Guild showroom is available for scheduled viewings.

To contribute to the production of the exhibition book, visit our Kickstarter page HERE.

For more information:
inquiries@centuryguild.net or Jack @ 800.610.2393

At-work inspiration.

We can’t wait for you to see what we’ve lined up for next month’s GRAND GUIGNOL show, HÄXAN.

Sooner than you think…
–j