Even if you’re not aware of his name, you know his work. Gary Baseman has the distinction of being both so prolific and universally appealing that his art translates to serious connoisseurs, action figurine collectors and creative kids alike.
His characters blur the line between fine art and toy culture, and with his varied projects — illustrations for Atlantic Monthly, New Yorker and Time; collectible figurines for Kidrobot; and tony exhibitions — Baseman breaks the barriers of both the medium and the message. Is it any wonder he describes his style as “pervasive?”
“Art is how I express myself; it’s as simple as waking up,” Baseman says.
“I created this term over 10 years ago in the need to find a phrase that encompassed what I was trying to do,” Baseman says.
“For me, there was an excitement that there are so many different mediums in the times we’re living in, and artists should be able to participate in all of these, as long as you have a strong visual voice and a message you want to get across.”
The Los Angeles-based creative explores his successful history June 12 at Lakewood Theater. Appearing as part of AIGA (the professional association of design) DFW’s lecture series, Baseman proves a perfect fit for the organization’s strategic goal: to provide a channel for engagement in the design and business communities.
Says AIGA vice president Frances Yllana, “By bringing in someone with the caliber of Gary Baseman who crosses the boundaries of artist, illustrator and designer, we can bring out those who don’t usually attend our events and give the design community something to inspire their daily work.”
It’s been a banner year for Baseman, who opened his autobiographical show “The Door is Always Open” earlier this spring at LA’s Skirball Cultural Center. A homecoming of sorts, the exhibition — which runs through August 18 — gathers elements from every stage of Baseman’s life and oeuvre. Visitors can share in his imagination and emotions as they view furniture from his childhood home, early sketches, and animation from his hit Disney series Teacher’s Pet.
“It’s a really engaging show; it’s a real approach to getting people to let down their guard and look at art and participate in their own way,” he says. “I have my family’s real furniture in there, and each room represents a theme in my work — the study is inspiration and heritage, the office is work and play, the bedroom is dreams and nightmares.
“My parents were Holocaust survivors and came to LA, and I was born on Sunset Boulevard, so there’s a sense of the American dream in there too. A lot of my art has to do with the sense of acceptance and sharing ourselves with others.”
Having never studied drawing professionally, Baseman is in the rare position of being a successful working artist all of his life. Barriers may have arisen as he reinvented himself from illustrator to painter to performance artist, but by staying true to his unique aesthetic, he has been able to go where few talents can.
When Baseman says, “the sky’s the limit,” he means it.
“Art is how I express myself; it’s as simple as waking up,” he says. “There’s never a time I didn’t see myself or title myself as an artist, even as a child. When I was 7 years old, I would say ‘I’m Gary Baseman. I’m 7, and I’m an artist.’”
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AIGA DFW presents “Gary Baseman: Cover to Cover” at Lakewood Theater on Wednesday, June 12, 6- 9:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.
Gary Baseman crosses the boundaries of artist, illustrator and designer.
