Ted Carey, 63𝘳𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘶𝘴 𝘈𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘯 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘕𝘠𝘊, 1980-85. Oil on canvas. 25-1/2 x 37-3/8 inches. Gift of Tito Spiga.
MARKS FAMILY GALLERY NORTH/TITO SPIGA EXHIBITION SPACE
Born and raised in Chester, Pennsylvania, Edward “Ted” Fawcett Carey (1932–1985) moved to New York in 1955. There he pursued a career in graphic design, forged a close friendship with Andy Warhol, and later developed a distinctive mode of painting informed by his keen interest in American folk art. While living between New York and East Hampton in the 1970s and 1980s, Carey produced a small yet compelling body of work that mimics aspects of vernacular painting, chronicles his life and relationships, and pictures facets of queer culture. Sharply observed and highly detailed, Carey’s faux-naïf paintings depict some of his favorite haunts in New York and celebrate the creative lives of other gay men.
Indebted to the foresight and generosity of Carey’s longtime partner, this exhibition draws from the Tito Spiga Bequest to Guild Hall. It surveys Ted Carey’s art for the first time since 1985, when an East Hampton gallery mounted a memorial show of his paintings in the days following his death from AIDS.
This exhibition is organized by Matthew Nichols, PhD, independent curator.
Galleries are open Friday to Monday, 12-5 PM. Museum admission is always free.
RELATED PROGRAMS
Curator Talk: Matthew Nichols
Sunday, June 2, 2 PM
In conjunction with the exhibition Ted Carey: Queer as Folk, guest curator Matthew Nichols will discuss the art historical and cultural contexts of Ted Carey’s life and work. The queer content of Carey’s New York paintings and his tributes to other gay artists will also be examined.
In Conversation: Anne Buckwalter and Matthew Nichols
Sunday, June 23, 2 PM
In conjunction with the exhibition Ted Carey: Queer as Folk, guest curator Matthew Nichols will discuss aspects of the show with the artist Anne Buckwalter. Their talk will explore how Carey and Buckwalter share roots in southeastern Pennsylvania, draw inspiration from regional folk art traditions, and address gender and sexuality in their paintings.
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Matthew Nichols
Matthew Nichols earned a B.A. from Vassar College and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University, where his dissertation examined the queer dimensions of Andy Warhol’s pre-Pop art and career. A specialist in modern and contemporary American art, he taught art history and connoisseurship at Christie’s Education for more than 16 years, where he led the school’s commitment to object-based learning. Matthew has also taught courses at Sotheby’s Institute of Art and The New School, where he was an adjunct assistant professor for many years. His critical writing has appeared in Art in America, Art on Paper, Photograph, and various exhibition catalogs. As an independent curator, he has organized thematic group exhibitions for The Arts Center at Duck Creek, Geary Contemporary, and other venues.
Sponsors
Museum programs are supported by Crozier Fine Arts and funding from The Michael Lynne Museum Endowment and The Melville Straus Family Endowment.
Free gallery admission is sponsored, in part, by Landscape Details.