Nate Lowman

Maccarone, New York

Acquired from the above in 2016 by the present owner

“People  treat   images  the  same  way  that  they  treat  vacation,”  he  says.  “I’m  trying  not  to  be  a  tourist   all  the  time  –  or  at  least  not  concerning  the  interpretation  of  information.” - Nate Lowman

Engaging with modern society, illuminating and reframing its dark sides, Nate Lowman has been manipulating recognizable American imagery through his artistic practice since the early 2000s. Working in a process that blurs a seemingly identifiable icon, landscape, or news event much as if it has been continuously photocopied, Lowman creates a more ambiguous and thoughtful scene. While the modern age leaves little time to digest an image or daily happening, Lowman manipulates each work to rectify the neutralizing of imagery in contemporary American society, rooted in his personal memory growing up in America. 

From scenes of bullet holes to weather maps of hurricanes, to reinterpreting depictions of women, Nate Lowman has infused elements of life that have shaped the core of a society into his oeuvre and reworked it. His process typically includes the use of alkyd, a thick, polyester resin that when applied, forms a more undepictable image than that of a traditional oil paint, allowing the viewer to pause and grasp its impact. As seen in the present lot, NYPD painting, the artist takes a familiar motif, one seen on New York streets everyday, and encourages the viewer to think further about its meaning. Rather than forcing his interpretation on his observers, Lowman impartially yet outspokenly illuminates American life.