The Art Guys, Michael Galbreth (1956 – 19 October 2019) and Jack Massing (born 1959), are a collaborative artist team based in Houston, Texas.
History The Art Guys have worked together since 1983 after meeting while students at the University of Houston. 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, David Letterman, John Cage and the Smothers Brothers," 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 became "not artists" on April 1, 2016, at 12:05 am after 33 years of collaboration.
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, Anchorage, Alaska 2014-"Scattershot", Wynne Home Arts Center, Huntsville, Texas 2012-"The State of Texas v. Gary Sweeney v. The Art Guys", Unit B Gallery, San Antonio, Texas 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, Jonesboro, Arkansas 2011-"Idle Chatter", Space 204, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 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, Kingsville, Texas 2007-"The Art Guys: Cloud Cuckoo Land Selections from 25 Years of Drawings, Proposals, Failed Schemes and Pipe Dreams", Galveston Art Center, Galveston, Texas (traveling exhibition) 2007-"The Art Guys: Seeing Double", Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, Florida 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 2006-"Two guys walk into a hardware store...", Birke Art Gallery, Huntington, West Virginia 2006-"The Art Guys: Nothing To It", Beeville Art Museum, Beeville, Texas 2005-"The Art Guys: Food For Thought", Art League of Houston, Houston, Texas 2004-"Reality TV: A New Series", Marfa Book Company, Marfa, Texas 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, Harrisonburg, Virginia 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, Tacoma, Washington 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 1998-"Business As Unusual", Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), Winston-Salem, North Carolina 1998-"Common Nonsense", De Saisset Museum, Santa Clara, California 1998-"Call of the Wild", Columbus State University, Columbus, Georgia 1997-"The Great Hunting And Fishing Expo", Braunstein/Quay Gallery, San Francisco, California 1997-"seeing the elephant", Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, Buffalo, New York 1997-"Hunting And Gathering", Halsey Gallery, College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina 1997-"Wildlife", Austin Museum of Art, Laguna Gloria, Austin, Texas 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 1995-"The Art Guys: Think Twice", Contemporary Arts Museum-Houston, Texas (catalog, traveled to the Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, Texas 1995-"The Art Guys Variety Show", Braunstein/Quay Gallery, San Francisco, California 1995-"The Fan Array (And Other New Work)", Capp Street Project, 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 1993-"Those Art Guys Again", Barry Whistler Gallery, Dallas, Texas 1992-"Group Show", 0-1 Gallery, Los Angeles, California 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 1989-"don't get left behind get right behind", San Jacinto College, Houston, Texas 1986-"Mustaches For Seattle: Sea/Hou-Hou/Sea", 911, Seattle, Washington 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, Athens, Greece, traveled to Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul, Turkey 2009-"No Zoning: Artists Engage Houston", Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas 2007-"Duiying–Yingdui – Corresponding & Responding", curated by James Surls, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China 2007-"40 Years of Public Art in New York City Parks", The Arsenal Gallery, Arsenal, Central Park, New York, New York 2006-Texas In China", Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, China 1993-"Here's Looking At Me", Espace Lyonnais D’Art Contemporain, Lyon, France (catalog) 1992-"Flux Attitudes," The New Museum of Contemporary Art, 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. Lyon, France: Espace Lyonnaise d’art Contemporain, 1993. FluxAttitudes. New York, New York: The New Museum of Contemporary Art, 1991.
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