Richard Hambleton rose to fame in the early 1980's when like his contemporaries, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, had great success coming out of the New York City art scene. He used the streets of NY as his canvas for visually arresting public art, most notably his "Shadowman" & "Crime Scene" series. Hambleton has been labelled "The Godfather of Street Art".
The last surviving member of the East Village Art Movement, Hambleton saw what fame and drugs use did to his close friends, and for the last 20 years has led a relatively reclusive life in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. During those years, Hambleton has continued to create and his works can be found in the permanent collections of the MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum, the Zellermeyer in Berlin, the Andy Warhol museum, the New Museum of Contemporary Art and even at Harvard University. In 1984 he was chosen for the Venice Biennale.
Following the highly successful New York exhibition in September 2009, Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld & Andy Valmorbida in collaboration with Giorgio Armani will present "Richard Hambleton - New York" an exhibition of 45 works by Hambleton, during Milan Fashion Week.
Vladimir & Andy say: "Richard Hambleton's brush stroke as an artist is genius and is in a league of his own. Most significantly, he is the most important and influential living street artist in the world today, with a story and career that is unparalleled. It is also a privilege for us to collaborate with Giorgio Armani and we are pleased to present it in such a prestigious space."
The Richard Hambleton exhibition will be open to the public on March 1st to the 12th 2010, following the opening night reception on February 25th 2010. All at the Armani/Teatro in Milan, which will be open from 10am-7pm.
It will feature 45 pieces, 30 works-15 never before seen, will be for sale.
Contributing Editor - NJD
Richard Hambleton's images by: Hank O'Neal
After having been held in display both in New York and Milan, "Richard Hambleton - New York" will debut at The State Museum of Modern Art of the Russian Academy of Arts in Moscow, Russia. Curated by Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld and Andy Valmorbida, the exhibition will feature 30 original paintings, including 15 never-before-seen works. 
