Demonstrating one his iconic “Shadowman” paintings of the early 1980’s, ‘Crouching Shadow’ is an acrylic on paper by Richard Hambleton which captures the artist’s iconic approach to surreal figuration. Resembling silhouetted images of distorted, dark, and insubstantial people, these figures were created with splashes and dynamic strokes of black acrylic paint. Throughout the 1980’s, Hambleton gained notoriety by painting his “Shadowmen” on buildings or across urban landscapes to startle unsuspecting pedestrians.

Along with close friends Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Canadian-born painter Richard Hambleton (b. 1954) pioneered the 1980s Lower East Side art movement in New York, generating buzz with his “public art” painted on unexpected street corners as well as his street art inspired canvases, which were exhibited in major galleries. Using cryptic imagery and dark aesthetics, Hambleton has explored a “Mass Murder” concept with his police chalk outlines and victim inspired paintings, which led to the development of his “Shadowman” paintings. Hambleton studied Painting and Art History at the Emily Carr School of Art in Vancouver, Canada, earning his BFA in 1975. That same year he founded the gallery and performance space, “Pumps” Center for Alternative Art in Vancouver. In 2011, Andy Valmorbida and Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld presented a retrospective of his work in New York, NY. His work was also featured in the seminal 2011 Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA exhibition ‘Art in the Streets’.