Charles Fazzino - Pop artist keeps work, style & attitude fresh - looking forward to ArtExpo 2009

Charles Fazzino - Bleeker Street

You've read here often, and in my book, that I believe being distinguishable because your work weaves a recognizable thread through it is beneficial. When you look at the careers of successful artists, especially in the print market, it is not difficult to grasp why being known for having a "style" works for them on multiple levels.

There is an argument that having or being known for a "style" effectively buries one's talent. Artist  Martin Stankewitz has gone so far to eloquently and vociferously argue this very point in his Squidoo lens: art style - how to bury your talent. I get his point and passion, but there is another side to the argument.

When I look at the oeuvre of Charles Fazzino, I see a definitive style. I also see a joyful artistic process that has given him tremendous visibility in the art community and with thousands upon thousands of collectors world wide for three decades. If you have ever seen his work, when you see it again, it is instantly recognizable. Despite the irresistible cheeriness in nearly all of his work, you will also find it presented with a social conscious. Proving you don't have to paint in depression to make a serious point.

Last year, I wrote a post mortem opinion piece titled ArtExpo New York - The Show Must Go On  wherein I did my best to lay out what I saw happening there and why it is important to support the show. In March 2008, most in the art business had already seen storm warnings of serious impending financial problems, but few, myself included, knew the full force of the storm. What's happened in the ensuing 12 months has worsened conditions dramatically and all but capped any hopes of a resurgent show there this year. Many are hoping to ride out the storm and wait for better days, show organizers included.

Charles Fazzino is not one to sit out bad times. He recently added a comment to that post about his preparations for the 2009 ArtExpo New York show coming up in just a few days. He is going well prepared with cautious optimism and I wish him and all the participants whether attendees, exhibitors and show management well. It is certain to be a difficult show compared to the glory years not that long ago. The show has have been hurt by the Las Vegas ArtExpo experience which opened on the Friday when the Dow Jones Industrials took a 500 point dive signalling more downward pressure to come. Still strong hearted optimist stalwarts like Charles Fazzino will be there to make the most of whatever opportunities arise.

So, hats off to one of the most collected and well known artists of the past 30 years. He shows no signs of slowing down or of abandoning his signature style that has only earned him tremendous reward and recognition. Check out the impressive bio and collector list below from his Web site: 

Charles Fazzino is one of the most popular and highly-collected pop artists of all time. During his more-than-thirty years as a pop artist, he has inserted his unique, detailed, vibrant, and three-dimensional style of artwork into the very fabric of popular culture. Fazzino's artworks are exhibited in more than twenty countries and 600 fine pop art galleries. He has received many private and important commissions and has been selected as the official artist for festivals and events all over the world. Charles is often referred to as a pop culture historian because of the breadth of his work and the way it touches his collectors and captures the best parts of their contemporary lives. His legacy will mark him as part of the next generation of famous pop art artists as he follows the paths originally forged by pop art pioneers like Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Red Grooms, and Robert Rauschenberg. You can read more about them in our history of pop art section.

Super Bowls XXXV - XLIII
 2004 GRAMMY Awards
 
The 2005 - 2007 Belmont Stakes
 2004 Indy 500
 
MLB All-Star Games 2003-2005, 2007-2008
 2005 Brickyard 400
 
2005, 2006 CMA Awards
 Olympic Games (2000-2008)
 
2007, 2008 NHL All-Star Game
 2006-2008 Daytime Emmy Awards
 
2008-09 President's Council on Physical Fitness
 2008 Andy Roddick Foundation
 
2008 International Auto Show
 2006 Winterfest Boat Parade
 
Illustrator "Sam Katz on the Loose!"
 2009 Pori Jazz Festival

World Renowned Collectors and Recipients of Fazzino Artwork
Paul McCartney, Ronde Barber, Justin Tuck, Donald Trump, President William Jefferson Clinton, 
Levar Burton, Derek Jeter, Joe Torre, Mariano Rivera, Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson, Rosie O'Donnell, Michael Eisner, President George Bush, Michael Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Tony Stewart, Senator Hillary Clinton, Marlo Thomas, Whoopi Goldberg, Ellen Degeneres, Rebecca, Herbst, Eli Manning, Roger Clemens, Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor, Petra Nemcova, Sandra Day O'Connor, Matt Lauer, Katie Couric, Bette Midler, George Steinbrenner, Jonathan Winters, Kristin Chenoweth, Prince Albert of Monaco, Richard Petty, Angel Cordero, Jr.

Fazzino's 3d pop artwork can be found in the private collections of Rosie O'Donnell, Michael Eisner, Hillary Clinton, Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush, Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, Phil Collins, Roger Clemens, Michael Jordan, Julia Roberts and many other internationally renowned figures and corporations.