Nathaniel Mary Quinn It was All A Dream For Sale
Nathaniel Mary Quinn
It was All A Dream, 2017
Black charcoal, gouache, soft pastel, oil pastel, oil paint, paint stick on linen canvas
14 x 11 inches
About this work
Nathaniel Mary Quinn has emerged as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary figurative painting, commanding significant attention from major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago. His work occupies a unique position at the intersection of classical portraiture and fragmented psychological inquiry, earning him a devoted following among collectors who recognize his singular contribution to contemporary art discourse. It was All A Dream exemplifies Quinn's celebrated approach to the human face as a site of memory, identity, and emotional reconstruction. Executed in his characteristic mixed-media technique combining black charcoal, gouache, soft pastel, oil pastel, oil paint, and paint stick on linen canvas, the intimate fourteen-by-eleven-inch composition demonstrates the artist's virtuosic handling of disparate materials. Quinn's portraits are assembled from photographic fragments sourced from magazines, family photographs, and his own imagination, resulting in visages that appear simultaneously familiar and dislocated. The title itself evokes themes of aspiration, nostalgia, and the unreliable nature of recollection, subjects deeply rooted in Quinn's personal narrative of loss and resilience following his childhood in Chicago's Robert Taylor Homes. The textural richness of the surface reveals Quinn's painterly command, with passages of delicate rendering juxtaposed against bold gestural marks. Each element coalesces into a figure that resists easy categorization, inviting extended contemplation on the constructed nature of selfhood. For acquisition inquiries regarding this work by Nathaniel Mary Quinn, please contact Guy Hepner to discuss availability and pricing.
Price on Application
Edition & Provenance
- Year
- 2017
- Medium
- Black charcoal, gouache, soft pastel, oil pastel, oil paint, paint stick on linen canvas
About the On That Faithful Day Series
Nathaniel Mary Quinn has emerged as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary figurative painting, commanding significant attention from major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago. His work occupies a unique position at the intersection of classical portraiture and fragmented psychological inquiry, earning him a devoted following among collectors who recognize his singular contribution to contemporary art discourse. It was All A Dream exemplifies Quinn's celebrated approach to the human face as a site of memory, identity, and emotional reconstruction. Executed in his characteristic mixed-media technique combining black charcoal, gouache, soft pastel, oil pastel, oil paint, and paint stick on linen canvas, the intimate fourteen-by-eleven-inch composition demonstrates the artist's virtuosic handling of disparate materials. Quinn's portraits are assembled from photographic fragments sourced from magazines, family photographs, and his own imagination, resulting in visages that appear simultaneously familiar and dislocated. The title itself evokes themes of aspiration, nostalgia, and the unreliable nature of recollection, subjects deeply rooted in Quinn's personal narrative of loss and resilience following his childhood in Chicago's Robert Taylor Homes. The textural richness of the surface reveals Quinn's painterly command, with passages of delicate rendering juxtaposed against bold gestural marks. Each element coalesces into a figure that resists easy categorization, inviting extended contemplation on the constructed nature of selfhood. For acquisition inquiries regarding this work by Nathaniel Mary Quinn, please contact Guy Hepner to discuss availability and pricing.
About Nathaniel Mary Quinn
Nathaniel Mary Quinn is an American artist born in 1977 in Chicago, Illinois. Working primarily in charcoal, gouache, oil paint, and oil pastel on paper, Quinn creates fragmented portraits that draw from memory, photography, and imagination. His work sits at the intersection of figuration and abstraction, engaging with themes of identity, family, and personal history. Quinn gained significant recognition following his inclusion in major institutional exhibitions and has established a strong presence in the contemporary art market, with works held in prominent museum collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Art Institute of Chicago.