Patrick Angus in Long Beach

Patrick Angus, Columbus Circle, 1986
L.A.-born Patrick Angus (1953–1992) is having a moment. Stuttgart's Kunstmuseum did a large (200-piece) Angus retrospective last year. Now the Long Beach Museum of Art is hosting the artist's first major U.S. exhibition, through Sep. 8, 2019.
Patrick Angus, Hot Numbers, 1989. Collection of David Hockney
Once called "the Toulouse-Lautrec of Times Square," Angus made his reputation with paintings of New York's gay demimonde, particularly the Gaiety Theater, an all-male burlesque house. Angus clearly drew on David Hockney (who collected Angus and lent one of the paintings in the show). Hanky Panky (1990) shows a darkened theater. On screen is a porno version of a Hockney swimming pool. Angus' revelers never seem to be enjoying themselves; the urban landscapes are shadowed by the slanting light of Edward Hopper.
Patrick Angus, Hanky Panky, 1990
AIDS ended Angus' career early, at age 38. The Long Beach show spans the full range of his production, including portraits, nudes, and landscapes, some of L.A.
Patrick Angus, Untitled (Palm Tree Stop Sign)

Comments

Anonymous said…
There are so many great LA artists who I have never heard of until I read this blog. These exhibitions should be at LACMA yet the museum doesn't even own a single artwork by this artist!
Anonymous said…
If not owning a work by Patrick Angus were the looming issue for LACMA, it - as the region's so-called encyclopedic art museum - wouldn't be facing such a perilous future.