CRASH
John ‘Crash’ Matos was born in 1961, in NYC’s Bronx. He has his roots in the city’s graffiti movement, and was discovered through murals that he painted on subway cars, basketball courts, and the walls of buildings.
But Crash has made a successful transition to the conventional art world, producing works on canvases that have sold in galleries all over the world.
Using bold, familiar colours, Crash is most markedly influenced by Lichtenstein. It has been suggested that by ‘tagging’ – signing only his name – Crash is refining art. Whilst great artists have signed their names on paintings, using the name as the art is somehow reducing art.
Crash, along with famous graffiti artists such as Keith Haring, has become symbolic of a period – and his art captures the energy of New York’s urban street movement, as well as the humour of hip-hop.
Crash is an eclectic artist. As well as exhibiting in galleries worldwide (as well as all over the USA, Crash has shown in France, Ibiza, Holland, Singapore…), Crash does not confine himself to gallery exhibitions but, true to his urban-graffiti roots, takes on a great variation of projects. He has designed guitars for the likes of Eric Clapton, painted a number of outdoor murals (e.g for 100th anniversary of Bronx Zoo), and designed advertising campaigns – e.g. for Absolut Vodka and Lucky Strike cigarettes, and designed shuttle buses at Miami Beach.
ARTIST STATEMENT
From colourful faux wall paper, to Marvel Comics, this was my youth. New York in the 60’s had a life all its own. And being a child of the 60’s, colours made such an impression on me that I rely on these memories to bring me to my work today.
Whether it was an escape from the toughness of my neighbourhoods, or an explosive imagination, drawing and painting was a launch pad that would change my life. I believe that if you pour your heart into your work it will show. Well, how about pouring your heart into your work, and letting your imagination take you beyond its limits? Isn’t that what being a child was all about?
And, I still believe that if you give in to your imagination, and pour your heart into your work, you can’t lose!
Welcome to my world.
Exhibitions
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS & AWARDS
2009 Unfinished Business, Joshua Liner Gallery, New York
2009 Crash, Betances 1973-82, Addict Galerie, Paris
2009 Crash, Los Angeles Art Show, Los Angeles
2009 Crash, The Art of the Line, Speerstra Gallery, Switzerland
2007 Kaleidoscope, Wooster Projects, New York
2007 DCC Crashes MOCAD, Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit
2006 Crash, Lehmann/Leskiw Fine Arts, Toronto
2005 Second Skin, STUSSY, Tokyo
2004 Pop, Boom, Crash, Animation and Fine Arts Gallery, New York
2002 Crash, Notes from the Westside, Galerie Speerstra, Paris
1998 Crash, The Exhibition, The Masterpiece Gallery, Birmingham
1997 New York-New Works: John ‘Crash’ Matos, Galeria Las Palomas, Spain
1994 Crash, Works on Paper, The Hobbs Gallery, Boston
1993 Crash, Through Express Part 1, Mexi-Carte Museum, Texas
1992 John Crash Matos: New Works, C’an Isidro, Ibiza
1992 Crash Superheroes, Martin Lawrence Modern, New York
1991 Crash, Galerie Artcade, Nice
1987 Crash, Manhattan Borough President Building, New York
1986 Solo Show, Yaki Komblit Gallery, Amsterdam
1982 Fashion Moda, New York
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS & ART FAIRS
2009 SCOPE Art Fair, Opus Art, Miami
2009 Pop Crime, Opus Art, Newcastle upon Tyne
2009 NewcastleGateshead Art Fair, Opus Art, Newcastle upon Tyne
2009 Manchester Buy Art Fair, Opus Art, Manchester
2003 100 Small Paintings, Recon, San Francisco
2002 Kaws & Crash, MADEgallery, Vancouver
2001 Int./Ext., Eastwick Gallery, Chicago
1999 Crash and Daze: On the Express Train 1977-99, Palais Liechtenstein, Austria
1999 American Graffiti: Crash & Daze, Musee D’Art Moderne, Nice
1998 Crash/Daze, Enrico Coveri, Florence
1993 Crash & Daze, Deux Peintures New Yorkais, Galerie de la Cathedrale, Monaco
1990 Crash & Daze, Gallery Structure, Montpellier
COLLECTIONS
Neumann Family Collection, Chicago and New York
Peter Styvesant Foundation, The Netherlands
Speerstra Family Collection, Monaco
Verraneman Foundation, Kruishoutem, Belgium
Mr. & Mrs. Martin S. Blinder, Arizona
Keith Haring Foundation, New York
Sidney Janis Gallery Collection, New York
Collection Dakis Joannou, Athens
Giovanni Agnelli, Turin
Donald & Mera Rubell, New York and Miami
Henk Pijnenburg, Deurne, The Netherlands
Evelyn Levy, Lausanne
Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York
The New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans
Mr. and Mrs. John Fernandez Museum of the City of New York, New York
Mark Twain Bankshares, St. Louis, Missouri
Silvana Coveri, Enrico Coveri, Milan and Florence
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale
Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, New York
The Bronx Council on the Arts, New York
OMAS, Italy
Nellens Family Collection, Knokke, Belgium
Museum of Arts and Science, Daytona, Florida
Appleton Museum or Art, Ocala, Florida
Gulf Museum of Art, Largo, Florida
Tampa Mueum of Art, Tampa, Florida
Danforth Museum of Art, Framingham
Cornell Mueum, WinterPark, Florida
Flint Insitute of Art, Flint
Zimmerly Museum of Art, Rutgers University
John Leguizamo and Family, New York
Deland Museum, Deland, Florida
Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, Alabama
Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, Georgia
Ft. Wayne Museum, Ft. Wayne, Indiana
Cedar Rapids Museum, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Vero Beach Museum, Vero Beach, Florida
Vieques Museum, Vieques, Puerto Rico
Naples Museum of Art, Naples, Florida
Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando, Florida
Thunderbirds@Nellis Air Force Base, U.S.A.F.
Museum of Arts and Sciences, St. Augustine, Florida
