Standing Shadow, 2005 2005

Richard Hambleton created this painting, "Standing Shadow", using paint on canvas in 2005. Hambleton emerged from the same New York art scene that produced Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Yet, unlike them, he was never fully embraced by the art establishment. Hambleton's "Shadowman" paintings, which often appeared in public spaces without permission, were not always welcomed. Hambleton's work invites us to consider the public role of art. Is art only valuable when it is displayed in a gallery or museum? Or can art also be a form of social commentary when it appears on the streets? To understand the institutional history of Hambleton’s paintings, one could consult archives of the New York art world from the 1980s. These archives often contain exhibition records, reviews, and correspondence between artists, critics, and gallery owners. These resources help us to understand the complex social conditions that shape artistic production.