Ron English john Lennon and Groucho Marx, 1992

out a group of Ron English artworks we purchased is another version of this great play on names. A great iconic image of two legends John Lennon and Groucho Marx. The symbolism is classic Ron English, these greats represent the opposites of their namesakes Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. these are silkscreens which were done are artist’s paper I believe arches or rives, and then painted over. It is signed lower left Ron English but has been over painted. It dates from 1992 when Ron english was a notorious billboard graffiti artist. Ron English has grown into one of the great artists of this generation, just search hid name and you will be delightfully surprised. A brief bio follows: Ron English, born in Dallas, Texas in 1966 is an American contemporary artist who explores brand imagery and advertising. He is known for his use of color and comic book collage, for his photorealist technique and for his unique cast of characters, including sexualized animals, skeletal figures, Marilyn Monroe with Mickey Mouse breasts, the corpulent fast food spokesman MC Supersized, and one of his most significant creations, Abraham Obama, a fusion of America’s 16th and 44th Presidents. Bombarded by relentless advertising in a growing culture of junk, one man-activist/artist Ron English-dares to hijack corporate advertising, challenging us to change the sham of reality they’ve created and reminding us that free speech still lives. Bringing his messages to the masses through billboards and other forms of outdoor marketing, Ron takes traditional advertising hostage, subverting familiar images and words into confrontational art. Whether attacking a popular fast food chain with a manipulated image of its popular icon emblazoned with the words “Phat Food,” or taking on a tobacco giant and simply covering their logo with the word “breathe,” Ron implores us to re-evaluate what we see and succumb to it no more. In addition to his fine art painting, English has been involved in street art. This has included creating illegal murals and billboards that blend stunning visuals with biting political, consumerist and surrealist statements.