Gary Baseman

GARY BASEMAN (Los Angeles, California, 1960).
Untitled. “Venison” series, 2006.
Colored pencils and graphite on paper.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Work from the “Venison” series, originally exhibited at the “Mercado” gallery in Barcelona in 2006.
Measurements: 31 x 24 cm (image); 54 x 47 cm (frame).

Part of the “Venison” series, presented in Barcelona in 2006, this drawing is part of one of Gary Baseman’s most characteristic narrative cycles. The artist created many of these works during his stay in the city, using local materials and conceiving them as standalone pieces rather than preparatory studies. Drawing, fundamental to his practice, allows him to develop with particular immediacy his characteristic universe of characters with an innocent appearance and ambiguous meanings.

The exhibition revolved around a visual narrative featuring one of his recurring mysterious characters: the “wild deer girl.” After his time and experiences in Barcelona, the artist returned to Hollywood to continue expanding this series based on desire, nature, and vulnerability.

As a special touch and a nod to the venue, several of the exhibited pieces were drawn on handmade paper produced in Barcelona.

Gary Baseman has developed a multidisciplinary career spanning drawing, painting, illustration, animation, and design. He has collaborated with publications such as The New Yorker, TIME, and Rolling Stone, and is the creator of the Emmy and BAFTA award-winning series *Teacher’s Pet*. In 2013, the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles dedicated “Gary Baseman: The Door Is Always Open” to him—his first major museum retrospective.