Steven Parrino, American painter and musician (1958-2004) has developed a unique visual language in his oeuvre which, on the one hand, draws on various subcultural movements and, on the other hand, shows clear references to the history of visual art of the twentieth century and beyond. Parrino's work is defined by an unconditional will to be free that derives from American biker culture and is also influenced by punk rock existentialism.
At the same time, Parrino contradicts the “anything goes” attitude of postmodern trends in the 80s. Authenticity and the will to educate combine in his artistic approach to create an innovative power of exceptional quality which is also manifested in his installations, music, films and writings. Borrowings from underground comics and the "Kustom Kulture" of the motorcycle world with its specific symbolic language are the main themes of his drawings in the early years. His monochromatic painting in the tradition of "radical painting" evolved in parallel.
After the mid-80s, Parrino's artistic and ideological beliefs began to gel in a characteristic method: the artist would first paint the canvases in monochromatic color, take them off the stretcher, and then reassemble them in a modified form (twisted, rolled , crumpled, etc. .) in order to create a new and usually three-dimensional "image".
Steven Parrino. Nihilism is Love is the first comprehensive retrospective of the artist in the German-speaking world. Based on five series of themes, the show recontextualizes his work at the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein: a central narrative of the exhibition is the death of painting as a motif and its reawakening based on various social and subcultural themes. In the face of the rapid upheavals of recent decades, painting has been increasingly deprived of its traditional role as the pre-eminent medium of the avant-gardes. For the first time, this exhibition illustrates the importance of Parrino's multifaceted work for the further development of painting.
Parrino is best known for creating large monochromatic modernist paintings: his colors were limited to monochromatic black (or black and white, orange, red, blue and silver) which he violently cut, tore or twisted from stretchers. He died in an automobile accident in Greenpoint, Brooklyn at the age of 46.
A production of the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, curated by Friedemann Malsch and Fabian Flückiger. The exhibition will be accompanied by a comprehensive publication.
Investment valuation ⭐️⭐️⭐️
But how much is his work worth?
Some of the latest awards: (not very present on the market but in private collections)
Squeaky Fromme, 1987 – Acrylic/canvas (182,9 x 182,9 cm).
Clearing price: €199.698 ($220.000) Price including charges: €249.622 ($275.000) Estimate: €181.543 – €272.315 ($200.000 – $300.000 ) Christie's , 14/11/2019 New York, United States
Signed 'S. Parrino 87'Origin: Galerie Sylvana Lorenz, Paris. Massimo de Carlo Gallery, Milan. Anon. salt; Phillips, London, 8 March 2017, lot 8. Acquired at the above sale by the present ownerExposure: London, Massimo de Carlo, Slots and Holes by Steven Parrino, September-November 2009.
untitled, 1996 – Enamel, colored pencil, duct tape/vellum (48,3 x 34,29 cm).
Clearing price: €16.286 ($18.000) Price including charges: €20.357 ($22.500) Estimate: €18.095 – €27.143 ($20.000 – $30.000 )Sotheby's, 15/11/2019New York, United States
Signed -96Notes: Property from an Emerging CollectorOrigin: Kerry Schuss Fine Art, New York; Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2016Exposure: Rossinière, CHALET Marc Jancou, 2019
Devil's Day, 1995 – Enamel, plaster/canvas (124 x 122 x 16 cm).
Clearing price: €505.251 (£450.000) Price including charges: €618.932 (£551.250) Estimate: €336.834 – €561.390 (£300.000 – £500.000) Christie's , 04/10/2019London, United Kingdom. Provenance: Massimo de Carlo Gallery, Milan. Private Collection, Switzerland. Anon. sale, Christie's New York, 14 May 2009, lot 338. Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2010Exposure: New York, Marianne Boesky Gallery, Stripped, Tied and Raw, 2010.
Silicon Huffer, 1991 – Mixed media (silicon and tape) /board (26,7 x 28,3 cm)
Clearing price: €11.800 ($13.000) Price including charges: €14.750 ($16.250) Estimate: €9.076 – €13.615 ($10.000 – $15.000 ) Christie's , 27/09/2019 New York, United States
Title 'Steven Parrino Silicon Huffer 1991' / versoOrigin: Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner
