The Art Guys (Michael Galbreth (born 1956 in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, died 2019 in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

) and Jack Massing (born 1959 in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

) are a collaborative artist team based in

History

The Art Guys have worked together since 1983 after meeting while students at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

. For the exploration of their ideas, they employ a wide variety of media including sculpture, drawing, performances, installations and video. Food, drugs, pencils, baseball bats, car lot flags, toothbrushes and matches are among the unconventional materials they have used. Described in the ''New York Times'' as "a cross between

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich), Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 192 ...

David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading fi ...

and the

Smothers Brothers The Smothers Brothers are Thomas ("Tom" – born February 2, 1937) and Richard ("Dick" – born November 20, 1938), American folk singers, musicians, and comedians. The brothers' trademark double act was performing folk songs (Tommy on acoustic gu ...

," The Art Guys present a blend of performance, conceptual and visual art that explores the absurdities of contemporary life."AT WORK WITH: The Art Guys; In Performance: Life Imitates Art Imitating Life," Sam Howe Verhovek,
New York Times
', August 9, 1995. Retrieved on 2008-01-06. They have received Artadia Awards in both 2004 and 2006.

Not artists

The Art Guys becam
"not artists"
on April 1, 2016 at 12:05 am after 33 years of collaboration.
Hallelujah! the blind can see again; the water's fine.
ref>

Solo exhibitions

The Art Guys have shown in the following solo exhibitions: *2015-“The Tunnel of Love”, One Allen Center, Houston, Texas *2015-“Some Conceptions”, Gensler, Houston, Texas *2014-“Nullities and Vacuities”, Kimura Gallery,

University of Alaska-Anchorage The University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) is a public university in Anchorage, Alaska. UAA also administers four community campuses spread across Southcentral Alaska: Kenai Peninsula College, Kodiak College, Matanuska–Susitna College, and Prin ...

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

*2014-“Scattershot”, Wynne Home Arts Center,

Huntsville, Texas Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas. The population was 45,941 as of the 2020 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area. Huntsville is in the East Texas Piney Woods on Interstate 45 and home to ...

*2012-“The State of Texas v. Gary Sweeney v. The Art Guys”, Unit B Gallery,

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

*2012-“Funny Space”, organized by Snack Projects, The Menil Collection Bookstore, Houston, Texas *2011-“The Art Guys: Right Before Your Eyes”, Bradbury Gallery,

Arkansas State University Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage la ...

Jonesboro, Arkansas Jonesboro is a city located on Crowley's Ridge in the northeastern corner of the U.S. State of Arkansas. Jonesboro is one of two county seats of Craighead County. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 78,576 and is the f ...

*2011-“Idle Chatter”, Space 204,

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

*2011-“The Meronomic Antinomy of the Transfinite Realm (She's a Brick House)”, The Wrong Again Gallery, Memphis, Tennessee *2009-“New Clichés”, McClain Gallery, Houston, Texas *2009-“The Art Guys: Bag of Tricks”, Ben Bailey Art Gallery,

Texas A&M University-Kingsville Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by bo ...

Kingsville, Texas Kingsville is a city in the southern region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Kleberg County. Located on the U.S. Route 77 corridor between Corpus Christi and Harlingen, Kingsville is the principal city of the Kingsville Micropo ...

*2007-“The Art Guys: Cloud Cuckoo Land Selections from 25 Years of Drawings, Proposals, Failed Schemes and Pipe Dreams”, Galveston Art Center,

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

(traveling exhibition) *2007-“The Art Guys: Seeing Double”,

Tampa Museum of Art The Tampa Museum of Art is located in downtown Tampa, Florida. It exhibits modern and contemporary art, as well as Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities. The museum was founded in 1979 and debuted an award-winning new building in 2010 just north ...

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

*2007-“Two guys walk into a hardware store...”, Galleri Andersson Sandstrom, Umeå, Sweden *2007-“White Wash” (The Art Guys with That's Painting Productions), l’ecole du BAOUM,

Grenoble, France lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...

*2006-“Two guys walk into a hardware store...”, Birke Art Gallery,

Huntington, West Virginia Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County, and the largest city in the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as the Tri-State Area. A h ...

*2006-“The Art Guys: Nothing To It”, Beeville Art Museum,

Beeville, Texas Beeville is a city in Bee County, Texas, United States, with a population of 12,863 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bee County and home to the main campus of Coastal Bend College. The area around the city contains three prisons oper ...

*2005-“The Art Guys: Food For Thought”, Art League of Houston, Houston, Texas *2004-“Reality TV: A New Series”, Marfa Book Company,

Marfa, Texas Marfa is a city in the high desert of the Trans-Pecos in far West Texas, between the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park. It is the county seat of Presidio County, Texas, Presidio County, and its population as of the 2010 United States Cens ...

*2004-“America's Greatest Artists”, Galerie Stefan Andersson, Umeå, Sweden *2003-“What's The Big Idea?”, Cornell DeWitt Gallery, New York, New York *2002-“The Art Guys: Sweet And Sour”, (in conjunction with FotoFest 2002) Central Market, Houston, Texas *2002-“Serenity”, Sawhill Gallery,

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...

Harrisonburg, Virginia Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is also the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. At the 2 ...

*2001-“Once Is Not Enough”, Redbud Gallery, Houston, Texas *2001-“Once Is Not Enough - Again”, Cornell DeWitt Gallery, New York, New York *2001-“SUITS: The Clothes Make The Man”, The Museum of Fine Arts-Houston, Houston, Texas *2001-“Laughing Building”, Masonic Lodge, Marfa, Texas *2000-“Tunnel of Love”, Sala Diaz, San Antonio, Texas *1999-“The Art Guys Again and Again”,

Tacoma Art Museum The Tacoma Art Museum (TAM) is an art museum in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It focuses primarily on the art and artists from the Pacific Northwest and broader western region of the U.S. Founded in 1935, the museum has strong roots in the c ...

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

*1999-“Kit and Caboodle”, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), Scottsdale, Arizona *1999-“The Art Guys: An Exhibition of New Work”, Barry Whistler Gallery,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

*1998-“Business As Unusual”, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA),

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

*1998-“Common Nonsense”,

De Saisset Museum The de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University opened in 1955, after Isabel de Saisset, the last member of a California pioneer family bequeathed her estate to the University of Santa Clara. The museum owns nearly 10,000 art pieces and historical ...

Santa Clara, California Santa Clara (; Spanish for " Saint Clare") is a city in Santa Clara County, California. The city's population was 127,647 at the 2020 census, making it the eighth-most populous city in the Bay Area. Located in the southern Bay Area, the cit ...

*1998-“Call of the Wild”,

Columbus State University Columbus State University is a public university in Columbus, Georgia. Founded as Columbus College in 1958, the university was established and is administered by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. History The university w ...

, Columbus, Georgia *1997-“The Great Hunting And Fishing Expo”, Braunstein/Quay Gallery,

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

*1997-“seeing the elephant”,

Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center (aka Hallwalls) is a non-profit art organization located in Buffalo, New York. Since 1974, Hallwalls has shown and shows the work of contemporary artists of diverse backgrounds who work in film, video, literature ...

*1997-“Hunting And Gathering”, Halsey Gallery,

College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

*1997-“Wildlife”,

Austin Museum of Art The Contemporary Austin, originally known as the Austin Museum of Art, is Austin, Texas's primary contemporary art museum, consisting of two locations and an art school. The Contemporary Austin reflects the spectrum of contemporary art through exh ...

, Laguna Gloria,

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

*1996-“The Great Outdoors”, Lynn Goode Gallery, Houston, Texas *1996-“The Art Guys: Goods and Services”, Blue Star Art Space, San Antonio, Texas *1996-“Visualize The Art Guys”, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and Design,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

*1995-“The Art Guys: Think Twice”, Contemporary Arts Museum-Houston, Texas (catalog, traveled to the

Tyler Museum of Art The Tyler Museum of Art is located at 1300 South Mahon Avenue in the city of Tyler, county of Smith in the U.S. state of Texas. It is a private corporation accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, encouraging art education in the community ...

Tyler, Texas Tyler is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and county seat of Smith County, Texas, Smith County. It is also the largest city in Northeast Texas. With a 2020 census population of 105,995, Tyler was the List of cities in Texa ...

*1995-“The Art Guys Variety Show”, Braunstein/Quay Gallery, San Francisco, California *1995-“The Fan Array (And Other New Work)”,

Capp Street Project Capp Street Project is an artist residency program that was originally located at 65 Capp Street in San Francisco, California. CSP was established as a program to nurture experimental art making in 1983 with the first visual arts residency in the ...

, San Francisco, California *1995-“The Game Show”, Barry Whistler Gallery, Dallas, Texas *1994-“Good and Plenty”, Lesikar Gallery, Houston, Texas *1994-“Today's Special”, Palomar Restaurant, Houston, Texas (catalog) *1993-“Something From Nothing”, UAA Gallery, University of Alaska-Anchorage *1993-“Art Guise”, Janie Beggs Gallery,

Aspen, Colorado Aspen is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,004 at the 2020 United States Census. Aspen is in a remote area of the Rocky Mounta ...

*1993-“Those Art Guys Again”, Barry Whistler Gallery, Dallas, Texas *1992-“Group Show”, 0-1 Gallery,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

*1991-“AAAArt Guys”, Barry Whistler Gallery, Dallas, Texas *1991-“Art Guys”, Gallery 3, Huntington, West Virginia *1990-“Art Guys”, Barry Whistler Gallery, Dallas, Texas *1989-“Talking Pictures: The Art Guys at Full Tilt”, Sonic Arts Gallery,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

*1989-“don't get left behind get right behind”,

San Jacinto College San Jacinto College is a public community college in the Greater Houston with its campuses in Pasadena and Houston, Texas. Established in 1961, San Jacinto College originally consisted of the independent school districts (ISD) of Channelview, De ...

, Houston, Texas *1986-“Mustaches For Seattle: Sea/Hou-Hou/Sea”, 911,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

*1985-Untitled Installation, Butler Gallery, Houston, Texas *1985-“Particles”, Midtown Art Center, Houston, Texas *1983-“GMAALSBSRIENTGH”, Studio One, Houston, Texas

Selected group exhibitions

Notable group shows include: *2012-“Western Sequels, Art from the Lone Star State”,

Athens School of Fine Arts The Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA; el, Ανωτάτη Σχολή Καλών Τεχνών, ΑΣΚΤ, literally: Highest School of Fine Arts), is Greece's premier Art school whose main objective is to develop the artistic talents of its students. ...

Athens, Greece Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, traveled to

Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University The Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University ( tr, Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi, or MSGSÜ) is a Turkish public university dedicated to higher education in the fine arts. It is located in the Fındıklı neighbourhood of Beyoğlu, Istanbu ...

Istanbul, Turkey Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

*2009-“No Zoning: Artists Engage Houston”, Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas *2007-"Duiying–Yingdui – Corresponding & Responding”, curated by

James Surls James Arthur Surls (born 1943) is an American modernist artist and educator, known for his large sculptures. He founded the Lawndale Alternative Arts Space at the University of Houston in the 1970s. Biography James Arthur Surls was born April ...

National Art Museum of China The National Art Museum of China (NAMOC, ) is located at 1 Wusi Ave, Dongcheng District, Beijing, People's Republic of China. It is one of the largest art museums in China, and is funded by the Ministry of Culture. The construction of the museu ...

Beijing, China } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

*2007-“40 Years of Public Art in New York City Parks”, The Arsenal Gallery,

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

Central Park Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...

, New York, New York *2006-Texas In China”,

Shanghai Museum The Shanghai Museum is a museum of ancient Chinese art, situated on the People's Square in the Huangpu District, Shanghai, Huangpu District of Shanghai, China. Rebuilt at its current location in 1996, it is considered one of China's first world-c ...

Shanghai, China Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

*1993-“Here's Looking At Me”, Espace Lyonnais D’Art Contemporain,

Lyon, France Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...

(catalog) *1992-"Flux Attitudes,"

The New Museum of Contemporary Art The New Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker, is a museum in New York City at 235 Bowery, on Manhattan's Lower East Side. History The museum originally opened in a space in the Graduate Center of the then-named New Scho ...

, New York, New York (catalog) *1989-"Project Diomede," The Clocktower, P.S.1, New York, New York

Selected bibliography

* The Art Guys: Cloud Cuckoo Land (Selections from 25 Years of Drawings, Proposals, Failed Schemes and Pipe Dreams). Galveston, Texas, Galveston Arts Center, 2007. * Creative Time: The Book. New York, New York, 2006. * Houston Contemporary Art. Shanghai, Shanghai Art Museum, 2006. * Suits: The Clothes Make the Man. New York, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2000. * Guinness World Records 2000 Millennium Edition, Britain: Guinness World Records, Ltd., 2000. * The Art Guys Think Twice. New York, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1995. * Autoportraits Contemporains: Here's Looking At Me. Lyons, France: Espace Lyonnaise d’art Contemporain, 1993. * FluxAttitudes. New York, New York: The New Museum of Contemporary Art, 1991.

References

External links

The Art Guys official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Art Guys University of Houston alumni American artist groups and collectives American conceptual artists American performance artists Artists from Texas