Dean Snyder American, b. 1953

Overview

Dean Snyder's recent works employ the high tech medium of metal flake paint over epoxy composite and carbon fiber, all made by hand in the artist's studio. The sculpture entitled Amnesia is one of several works that was exhibited at The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York. A departure from other extremely innovative materials, such as tattooed and sewn rawhide and cut steel, the bold colors and automobile-like surfaces convey a sense speed and are reminiscent of the cool, shiny surface tension that California artist John McCracken used in his "planks" works. Recent drawings and prints explore the forms and textures of his sculptures resulting in an illustrated world of his fantastic characters.

Biography

Dean Snyder received his MFA from the School of Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois in 1978 and continued his postgraduate studies at Lanchester Polytechnic College of Art and Design in Coventry, United Kingdom. He earned his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute, Missouri. Snyder has shown in numerous one-person exhibitions in California, Chicago and New York. In addition, his work was shown at the 2008 Summer Olympics and is permanently installed in the sculpture garden in Beijing. Collections include the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College; DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, MA; RISD Museum, Providence, RI; Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, KS. Other accolades include the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship in Fine Arts (2013); Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Fellowship (2010); and the Siena Art Institute Residency in Siena, Italy (2012).

Exhibitions