Danny Minnick | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 23, 1973 |
| Known for | Painting, Skateboarding, Acting |
| Style | |
| Movement | Neo-expressionism |
| Website | dannyminnick |
| Signature | |
 | |
Danny Minnick (born January 23, 1973) is an American Neo Expressionist painter and professional skateboarder, skateboard cinematographer, actor and director. He has exhibited internationally and is a lifetime member of The Actors Studio. [1]
Minnick was born in Seattle, Washington, United States. [2]
For Minnick, drawing is second nature and he could easily sketch out his favorite cartoon characters when he was only in 3rd grade. [3]
At the same time, he started skateboarding. [3]
Minnick became a professional skateboarder in his early teenage years. His career in skateboarding lasted for two decades. In 2010, he suffered from an Achilles tendon injury and pulled every ligament in his left ankle while working as an on-camera stunt double for three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White. [4]
His first sponsors were Fallout Records and Skateboards, Venture Trucks, Vans, Spitfire Wheels and H-Street. [4]
In 2011, Chad Muska, one of Minnick’s closest friends who is an artist and fellow professional skateboarder, taught Minnick how to stretch and build his own canvases and renewed his desire to paint. [1]
Minnick began experimenting with painting, and his interest quickly transformed into a career when he received an opportunity for his first gallery exhibition, titled “17 Pieces.". [5]
Minnick is known for his neo expressionist and vibrant painting style. Interview Magazine noted that distinctive features which include De Kooning’s bold brushstrokes, Pollock’s signature drips, Keith Haring’s cartoon imagery and Basquiat’s daring use of color, all had an impact on the development of Minnick’s style. [6] [7]
“I strive to shine the shoes of such titans.” [3]
Minnick approaches his work with an instinctive sense of wonder and curiosity and wants to convey both hope and pleasure. He attributes his success to “karma, fate, and a lot of hard work”. [3]
Minnick prefers to work on large-scale canvases that convey a formidable presence and visceral experience. His figure, an entity named "Character,” is a human skeleton with a plus symbol in the torso created with stylized linear brush strokes. It is a symbol, according to Minnick, of the “positive energy” that he wishes to spread worldwide.
He is also influenced by the musicians Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, and the artist Banksy. Minnick is also inspired by Enrico Mazzanti.
His work can be seen on the walls of places like Miami's Wynwood and the Barbican Underground Station in London. [8]
In 2017, as an inspired and compelling response to Banksy’s homage to Jean Michel Basquiat; titled ‘Portrait of Basquiat being welcomed by the Metropolitan Police’ on the occasion of the Basquiat exhibition at The Barbican Centre, London; Minnick painted Character arriving by skateboard and leaping through the air to place a crown on the head of Banksy’s Basquiat figure. This unofficial but highly respected response by Banksy has been permanently preserved by The Barbican Centre, whose formal proposal for permanent preservation was approved by the City of London.
Minnick’s collectors include Robert Downey Jr, Eric Dane, LeBron James, Lionel Richie, Fred Durst, Ron Burkle, Luis Guzman, Michelle Lamy, Jessica Alba and Cash Warren, Nick Cassavetes, Michael Citrone, Gus Van Sant, Jamie Hince, Jason Momoa, KJ Apa, and Mena Suvari. [1] [7] [9]
According to Forbes, "A childlike sense of wonder and curiosity" is present in Minnick's work. [1]
As a director and cameraman, Minnick has created documentaries, many of which include his professional skating colleagues as an important topic. He went on to make "Genie of the Lamp," which had its premiere in Seattle at the King Kat Theater and "Collage," which had its premiere in Hollywood at the Egyptian Theater after a string of successful film runs which included "Brotherly Love," which he produced, directed and edited. "Balance in the World of Chaos," "Fulfill the Dream" and several projects for Thrasher, 411 and Transworld videos. [10] Minnick has achieved success and longevity as an actor via intensive study and training. Minnick applied for the renowned The Actors Studio where he is a Lifetime Member after finishing extensive training with acting coach William Alderson, who studied and trained under the iconic Sanford Meisner. [10]
In April 2006, American Cinematographer Magazine bestowed the title ” Skateboard Cinematographer” to Danny Minnick for the feature films, Larry Clark's “Wassup Rockers” and Chris Fishers “Dirty”.
Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement.
Lawrence Gilbert "Larry" Gagosian is an American art dealer who owns the Gagosian Gallery chain of art galleries. Working in concert with collectors including Douglas S. Cramer, Eli Broad, and Keith Barish, he developed a reputation for staging museum-quality exhibitions of contemporary art.
Blek le Rat is a French graffiti artist. He was one of the first graffiti artists in Paris, and has been described as the "Father of stencil graffiti".
George Condo is an American visual artist who works in painting, drawing, sculpture and printmaking. He lives and works in New York City.
Jesse Edwards is an American artist. Known primarily for his figurative and still life oil paintings, using techniques from the European Old Masters, that often provide satirical cultural commentary. His practice also includes painted ceramic sculptures. Edwards studied oil painting at the Gage Academy of Art (2002), and has been exhibiting publicly since. He has been into graffiti twice as long as oil painting or ceramics. After moving from Seattle to New York Edwards acquired representation by Vito Schnabel Edwards work was later chosen by the curators Theo Niarchos and David Rimanelli to be included in group exhibitions alongside works by Harmony Korine, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Julian Schnabel, Dan Colen, Dash Snow, and Pablo Picasso.
Jeffrey Deitch is an American art dealer and curator. He is best known for his gallery Deitch Projects (1996–2010) and curating groundbreaking exhibitions such as Lives (1975) and Post Human (1992), the latter of which has been credited with introducing the concept of "posthumanism" to popular culture. In 2010, ArtReview named him as the twelfth most influential person in the international art world.
Steve Lazarides is a British-Greek Cypriot publisher, photographer, collector and curator. He has helped popularise street art and underground art.
Art in the Streets was an exhibition held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles from April 17 to August 8, 2011. Curated by its then-director Jeffrey Deitch and associate curators Aaron Rose and Roger Gastman, it surveyed the development of graffiti and global street art from the 1970s to the present, covering the cities of New York City, the West Coast, London, and Sao Paulo with a focus on Los Angeles. It was supposed to travel to the Brooklyn Museum from March 30 to July 8, 2012. The exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum was cancelled because of financial difficulties.
Hanksy is the pseudonym for New York City-based street artist and parodist Adam Lucas, who also goes by Adam Himebauch. His artwork under the moniker Hanksy includes recreations of Banksy street art adapted to include a cartoon interpretation of actor Tom Hanks.
Louis Carreon is a contemporary artist with a background in street art. He frequently exhibits in galleries around the world. One of his best known commissions was a custom mural on a 12-seater private jet for Art Basel Miami, featuring his "International Symbols of Travel." Currently, he is based in Los Angeles and works from his Hollywood studio called The Drip Factory.
Hollywood Africans is a painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1983. The artwork is Basquiat's response to the portrayals of African Americans in the entertainment industry.
Gregory de la Haba is an American interdisciplinary artist, writer, curator and cultural producer. His work explores themes of addiction, contemporary notions of masculinity and duende.
A Panel of Experts is a painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982. The artwork in part is Basquiat's depiction of a catfight between two of his lovers, Suzanne Mallouk and singer Madonna.
Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump is a painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982. The artwork, which depicts a boy with a dog, is among the most expensive paintings ever purchased. It was purchased for over $100 million in 2020, becoming Basquiat's second most expensive painting following Untitled (1982), which was sold for $110.5 million in 2017.
Olympics is a painting created by American artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol in 1984. The artwork was a commemoration of the 1984 Summer Olympics. It sold for $10.5 million at Phillips's Contemporary Art Evening Sale in June 2012, which at the time was a record high for a Warhol-Basquiat collaboration. It is the second most expensive Warhol-Basquiat collaboration sold at auction after Zenith (1985).
Dos Cabezas is a painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982. The double portrait resulted from Basquiat's first formal meeting with his idol, American pop artist Andy Warhol.
The Fun Gallery was an art gallery founded by Patti Astor and Bill Stelling in 1981. The Fun Gallery had a cultural impact until it closed in 1985. As the first art gallery in Manhattan's East Village, it exposed New York to the talents of street art by showcasing graffiti artists like Fab 5 Freddy, Futura 2000, Lee Quiñones, Zephyr, Dondi, Lady Pink, and ERO. Contemporary artists Kenny Scharf, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Keith Haring also had solo exhibitions at the Fun Gallery.
Annina Nosei is an Italian-born art dealer and gallerist. Nosei is best known for being Jean-Michel Basquiat’s first art dealer and providing him with studio space in the basement of her gallery. From 1981 to 2006, the Annina Nosei Gallery represented or exhibited work by artists such as Barbara Kruger, Robert Longo, Ghada Amer, and Shirin Neshat.
Torrick Ablack, also known as Toxic, is an American artist who was part of the graffiti movement of the early 1980s in New York City. He transitioned from street art to exhibiting his paintings in galleries and museums internationally.
Beyond the Streets is a graffiti and street art exhibition and gallery created and curated by Roger Gastman. The first exhibition was held in 2018 in Los Angeles, USA and has since occurred yearly. In 2022, a permanent gallery and store was opened at the location of the original exhibition in LA.