Artist File
Artist Spotlight: See Vibrant Paintings From Canadian Artist Andy Dixon
Updated on November 28, 2023
In our Artist File column, art advisor Diana Hamm of WK ART shares the artists that have caught her eye.
The Artist: Andy Dixon’s brightly colored paintings, largely in pink and teal, dissect cultural symbols of status and wealth, both as a means to investigate our interest in these things and to poke fun at the importance we place on them. Originally a punk musician from Vancouver, he’s pivoted to full-time painter with a cult following, due to his use of symbols such as Versace-style shirts and iconic art.
The Works: His last exhibition took place in Los Angeles in 2021 and focused on paintings themselves as the ultimate status symbol. This symbiotic relationship has existed for as long as fine art painting itself. Whether it’s portraits of Renaissance men surrounded by treasured belongings or Flemish still lifes incorporating exotic fruit and animal carcasses to display a wealth of knowledge and possession, paintings as a means of showing off is nothing new. “The paradox that art is one of the highest achievements of humankind — one of the few things I think about every waking moment — and also a kind of luxury commodity that is bought, sold, traded and shown off as a status symbol, is absolutely hilarious to me,” says Andy. And so, from this notion, he reimagines this tradition and, in this latest series, homes in on an aesthetic that exudes opulence, luxury and all that is enviable.
Keep scrolling for a look at some of his work!
His style rides the fine line between making fun of the art world and inserting himself into it. Take the Patron’s Home series (pictured), for example. In these works, Andy paints his collectors’ homes, which include his own paintings hanging in them. In this manner, he is both cementing his place in the canon and highlighting the commercial aspect of the art world. “My Patron’s Home series depicts real environments where my own work currently hangs,” says the artist. “It’s a play on the tradition of artists depicting their own work within another painting, normally at the artist’s studio — the place of inspiration. Instead, by depicting where the paintings end up after they’re sold, I’m highlighting the work’s commercial element.” It’s the high-value, big-number sales in the art world that get the most attention, despite those works being a very small portion, in terms of volume.
And herein lies Andy’s interest. He’s exploring the hierarchy of value: what makes a painting or object worth so much? And why does this endlessly fascinate us? “I’m interested in the abstract value of art, a market that doesn’t necessarily adhere to the general rules of value — supply and demand,” says Andy. “The idea that my works are worth a certain amount to one person but, say, if my studio was robbed and a second person tried to sell them, they would be essentially worthless. Context is everything in art’s value.”
In Allegory of Painting Painting (2020, pictured), Andy dutifully paints in the classical style, recreating French artist François Boucher’s 1765 Rococo painting of the same subject. The young woman, twisting to recline, displays layers of fabric to highlight the painter’s skill, while she paints the cherubs surrounding her. The colors Andy uses place the piece in a contemporary lexicon, but they also make the subject matter garish and crude. The colors are too bright, the canvas seems stuffed to the brim, the sky menacing.
What’s normally representational, as a symbol of classic taste and knowledge, now nods to excess and opulence. This painting thrives; through its critical lens, it explores notions of value and luxury and what that means to us in a contemporary setting.
Me2 (2020)
Ultimately, these works are successful because they’re fun. Steeped in history, with recognizable signifiers, they’re enjoyable. The duality of poking fun at wealth and simultaneously embracing it is shared by both artist and collector. Andy’s self-portraits, for instance, are painted in a David Hockney–esque manner and depict the artist in a Versace-style shirt; he is immortalizing himself, as many have done before, as a way to insist on being remembered. Andy doesn’t take himself too seriously, though — and perhaps that’s precisely what he wants to communicate to future generations.
Where To See It:
Andy is represented by Over the Influence in Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Bangkok. His next exhibition will be in Paris and will focus on the Patron’s Home series.
Collecting:
He’s in notable collections like Alice Walton’s private art collection, and Mindy Kaling is rumoured to own three of his paintings. His work starts at $31,000.
House & Home June 2022