British street art legend Nick Walker (born 1969) has created 25 original works for his 2016 solo show at the Quin. Walker's unique style combines spray paint with intricate stenciling, creating an effect that is both eye-catching and sophisticated. Mingling photographic imagery with the flippant attitude of graffiti, Walker's work comes off as both culturally studious and satirical.
As a major figure in Bristol's infamous graffiti culture of the 1980s, Walker's early work inspired a long line of British artists, including Bristol's other famous street artist Banksy. Beyond Bristol, Walker's work is known globally and continues to evolve with the times. Film director Stanley Kubrick enlisted Walker's talents to recreate the graffiti-spattered streets of New York City in the 1999 film, Eyes Wide Shut.
Some of Walker's most-lauded works include Vandal, a signature bowler hat-clad figure who appears in the artist's street art and gallery works in cities around the world. Signaling the continued infusion of street art in popular culture, Vandal was featured in a music video for the Black Eyed Peas. The prices that Walker's work often commands also highlight the evolution of street artists within the arts community. By 2006, his Moona Lisa, a cheeky take on Leonardo da Vinci's portraiture, sold for £ 54,000 at auction. Two years later, at a solo exhibition at London's Black Rat Gallery, £ 750,000 worth of Walker's art was sold, with eager fans camping outside the gallery overnight.
In 2011, Nick Walker was a major participant in the "See No Evil" event in Bristol which brought more the 70 of the world's leading street artists to the city. London's The Independent wrote that Walker created "perhaps the most striking piece at the event," one of his bowler-hatted gentleman covering nearly seven stories of a tower building.
Walker has also created a popular and iconic piece in the streets of New York City entitled I Love NY, which has been preserved on the Lower East Side.
Holly Breuche, General Manager of the Quin, commented, "We're honored to have Nick Walker back in New York at the Quin, this time for a solo exhibition. As I've watched guests and local residents alike inspired by Nick's work and by the opportunity to meet him in his role as artist-in-residence, I'm reminded of the power of these quintessential New York moments."
Quin Arts Curator DK Johnston added, "Nick Walker and his Vandal gave birth to the Bristol UK graffiti style the world has learned to love at the feet of Banksy and the vocabulary this legend has lent to the movement is indisputable."
Pre-sales for Nick Walker's solo show at the Quin open on January 11 and sales information is available by emailing DKJ@artsfund.com. Walker's exhibition opens with an artist salon at the Quin from 6pm-9pm on January 21st, and will be on view through February 2016. Reservations information and further information on Quin Arts is available at www.thequinhotel.com
About The Quin
The Quin, New York City's quintessential luxury lifestyle hotel, is located on the corner of 57th Street and 6th Avenue. At the intersection of art, music, and fashion, its privileged Midtown location provides effortless access to Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Museum of Modern Art and Fifth Avenue couture. The Quin melds modern opulence with its rich artistic heritage in each of its 208 thoughtfully appointed guestrooms including 28 suites. Guests enjoy urbane and intelligent services from the QA concierges who curate a guest's New York experience, to distinguished amenities including a state-of-the-art Technogym fitness center, Apple equipped drawing room, Dux® beds by Duxiana®, Fresh® Spa Products and a two-story, 130-seat artisanal American seafood grill, The Wayfarer, showcasing a menu of fresh regional seafood. Renowned architecture and interior design firm, Perkins Eastman, has transposed a contemporary masterpiece on the classical foundation that was once home to cultural icons like pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski and artist Georgia O'Keeffe.
http://www.theQuinhotel.com
About Quin Arts
Quin Arts brings a global community of artists, patrons, and guests together through an ongoing series of culturally significant events, exhibitions, and performances. This multi-media initiative extends to a substantial permanent collection, along with an artist-in-residence program, digital displays on the lobby's 15-foot abstract video art wall, and intimate salons with participating artists. Curated and co-founded by DK Johnston, previous exhibits include Creative Chaos, a vibrant collection of new large-scale paintings by Corno, an exclusive preview of Eric Zener's land series, which was exhibited at Gallery Henoch, and Heritage -- a collection of iconic photography from Burt Glinn, Erich Hartmann, Dennis Stock, and Elliott Erwitt, presented in partnership with Magnum Photos. Blek le Rat, the "Father of stencil graffiti," created a series of unique lithographs, collectively entitled Escaping Paris, at the New York Academy of Art for the Quin during his tenure as artist in residence. The artist commemorated his residency on the Quin's façade with an image of Andy Warhol. The Quin's permanent collection also includes Blek le Rat's "Love America" on the 14th floor and loaned works the "Great Wedding," "What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen," and "Tango," as well as original work from YZ, Wulf Von Treu, "the German Basquiat," and Patrick Graham, plus 15 new pieces from Bristol-based street artist, Nick Walker. Quin Arts has garnered critical acclaim in publications ranging from Forbes to Conde Nast Traveler and Harper's Bazaar Art and was nominated for the "Most Creative Collaboration" Award at LE Miami.
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