LA artist Lari Pittman is known for his loud, dense , and chaotic paintings. They can feel overwhelming to take in, portraying layered concepts and ideas through collaged objects and texts.
A retrospective of his work, “ Declaration of Independence: Lari Pittman ,” is now on view at the Hammer Museum at UCLA through January 5, 2020.
Lari Pittman,
This Wholesomeness, Beloved and Despised, Continues Regardless, 1990. © Lari Pittman, courtesy of Regen Projects, Los Angeles.
Art insider Lindsay Preston Zappas describes Pittman’s work, “It’s everything, all in one soup together.”
Pittman believes his work can be for anyone. He says, “I think the work is visually available to a huge range of people. Yes, it is complicated and complex. Maybe the viewer should give it more time. But they should also trust their feelings as well, and their own ideas about it, and go with it.”
Lari Pittman, Untitled #16 (A Decorated Chronology of Insistence and Resignation), 1993. © Lari Pittman, courtesy of Regen Projects, Los Angeles.