David Gilhooly (1943-2013) Early Autumn Years of My Dog Spot, 1988 Monoprint on BFK Rives Paper Titled on the verso in pencil Signed and dated in pencil, lower right Published by Magnolia Editions (Magnolia Press), Oakland, CA Unframed: 30in H x 22in L
In Gilhooly's Dog series, the printing plates were in the shape of the dog, not a typical square or geometric shape.
David Gilhooly states that his lowbrow humor makes his work accessible so that “even my most maiden old aunt or my most drugged-out cousin can get at the meaning of the work or at least experience it!” He studied at the University of California, where he worked as an assistant to Robert Arneson. Gilhooly was a leading advocate of funk art, which challenged the seriousness of the art world by focusing on absurd images of everyday objects. He parodied ancient civilizations, religion, politics, and culture through an alternative world of ceramic frogs and other creatures until 1983, when he began to use food to satirize man-made and natural disasters.
His works remain in the permanent collections of the SFMOMA, The Smithsonian, the Oakland Museum of Art, amongst many other public institutions.
