SPOTLIGHT
Raymond Pettibon’s provocative work is on display at MCQ Fine Art.
Bold, uncompromising and impossible to pin down to a genre, Raymond Pettibon is revered as one of America’s most unique creators of contemporary art. Now open inside Downtown’s MCQ Fine Art, a rare exhibition of his unique works on paper and limited-edition prints showcases his signature style of pairing roughly hand-drawn imagery with humorous and macabre texts. “His style is really raw and energetic,” says gallerist Michele Quinn. “When you see his work, with his handwriting, pulling from historical literary sources and his own imagination, you know it’s his.” First emerging during the late 1970s in the thick of Southern California’s punk rock scene, Pettibon began exploring the spectrum of American life, including— but not limited to—politics, religion and sexuality. Oscillating between poetic humor and stinging criticism, Pettibon has now created more than 20,000 pieces, ranging from album cover designs and drawings to large-scale installations. The show, accompanied by a limitededition lithograph book, is a unique look into the mind of one of art’s sharpest contemporary chroniclers. MCQ Fine Art, 620 S. Seventh St., 702.366.9339, mcqfineart.com – Spencer Lubitz