Wayne Gilbert (artist)
American painter (1946–2023)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wayne Dale Gilbert (November 26, 1946 – August 17, 2023) was an American painter and gallerist who lived and worked in Houston, Texas. He was best known for creating paintings using unclaimed, cremated human remains.[1][2][3][4] His life and work were featured in the film “Ash: The Art of Wayne Gilbert,” a documentary directed by filmmaker Wayne Slaten.[3][5]
November 26, 1946
Wayne Gilbert | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | Wayne Dale Gilbert November 26, 1946 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Died | August 17, 2023 (aged 76) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Education | University of Houston |
| Known for | Painting |
| Website | https://www.waynegilbert.com |
Gilbert was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in Houston, Texas.[6] His father was a carpenter,[6] and his mother was a punch-card operator.[5] After graduating from Stephen F. Austin High School,[6] Gilbert worked as an oil field supplies salesman.[2] His interest in art was sparked in the late 1970s when his wife, Beverley, persuaded him to enroll with her in a class at the Houston Museum District home of artist Chester Snowden.[6][5]
Gilbert attended the University of Houston, earning a Bachelor of Arts in painting in 1984.[5] He described his early work as “'Absurd Expressionism,' focused on humanity at its ugliest, inspired by subjects such as the Jonestown Massacre.”[5] Gilbert later studied at Rice University, earning a Master of Arts in Liberal Arts in 2012.
In addition to creating art, Gilbert ran G Spot Contemporary Gallery in The Heights[5][7] neighborhood in central Houston and was a partner in DigitalImaging Group, a Houston-based animation studio.[5]
Gilbert died of cancer in Houston, Texas, on August 17, 2023, at the age of 76.[8][9][10][11]
Painting with Cremains
For Gilbert, the idea of using cremated human remains in his art originated after the death of his uncle.[6]
Gilbert contacted funeral homes to locate unclaimed cremains.[6][12] He had to search for six months to locate the first funerary ashes he used in a work of art.[2] For his cremains works, he mixed the ashes with resin – occasionally adding pigment – to incorporate them into his pieces.[6][2][5][12]
A film called “Ash: The Art of Wayne Gilbert” documents his work and premiered at the 2017 Houston Cinema Arts Festival at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.[3][5]
Exhibitions
- 2023 Tomorrow's Unknown, Redbud Arts Center, Houston, Texas[13]
- 2022 Wayne Gilbert: The Classic Cremain Paintings, Bill Arning Exhibitions, Houston, Texas[14]
- 2022 Wayne Gilbert: The End of the Road, Outsider Art Fair, New York, New York[15]
- 2015 Degrees of Separation, Station Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston, Texas[16]
- 2013 Human Remains Paintings, 14 Pews, Houston, Texas[17]
- 2007 Blind Philosophy, Art League of Houston, Houston, Texas[18]
- 2007 Amistad - Texas Art in Peru, Museo de la Nación, Lima, Peru (group show)[19]
- 2006 After Life (When the Dust Settles), Gallery 68, Austin, Texas
- 2006 Contemporary Art Houston, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, China (group show)[20]
- 2005 Danse Macabre, Megnet Gallery, Beaumont, Texas
- 1996 Houston-Area Exhibition, Blaffer Art Museum, Houston, Texas (juried group show)[21]
- 1991 The Big Show '91, Lawndale Art Center, Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (juried group show) - Merit Prize