uPccttf,rNG sn$w[tp to 30 worhs on sltow

December 3 tkm 14, ?*S5Track 16 / Arcadia Gallery252i Michigan Ave Bldg. C- l

S*nta Xvlonica, CA 9{}4S4

i31s) 264-467s . {21?} 96:-13s?

iri.:Jl:.]

MarcoLM Lrcrxs

Liepke paints the simple truths that make

us human..1ft nce a vear. Arcadie Gall.ryJ 1.r,u.., Ste'e Diamant re.ts oul a

\J gallery in Los A'rgeles' BergamotStation and puts on a shorv for noted fie-

urative paintel Malcolm Liepke. Thisyear, the exhibition will be at the 'liack 16

gallery space and Liepke has cor.r.rpleted

30 nerv paintings for the shou'.

"I generally do 1arge, one-man shorvs

but this new venue ivill give tne a chance

to reach out to new collectors and shorv

them work they haven't seen beFore," savs

Liepke, who currently resides inMinneapolis. "L.r this shorv, I'll include

more of a mix of r'vork, but mainll. rr-r1'

paintings that present an emotional qual-ity to the viervers."

\X/hile Diamant's Arcadia gallerl, is

located in Ne',v York Cit1., he has for-rnd

that Liepke's r.vork has always had a cer-

tain appeal in Hollni'ood as rvell as tl.re

fashion communitl,. Ralph Lauren has

in the past beer.r a big collector ofLiepke's rvork as has Barbara Streisand

and Dor-rna Karan. In facr, Karan based

her 2002 fall cor-rture line and aclr'ertis-

ing campaign or.r Liepke's paintir.rgs.

And, as a thank you to Liepke, Karanheld an exhibition of his pair.rtir.rss ir.l herNeri York Mrdison Avenue .role to qi\epeople an idea ofrvhere here inspirationcarne from.

"lt r,vas a big complirnenr fbr me,"

says Liepke. "The Fall catalosue was set

up as imitations of the pair.rtings, she had

the models look like thc figures in tl.re

work ar.rd the clothes rvere similar fashior.rs

and designs that I put in the pair.rtir.rgs.

And the special shorv at the MadisonAvenue shop really joined fashion togeth-er with the paintir-rgs."

\(hile most people are drarvn toLiepke's canvases because ofthe figures he

places in them and the emotions they

NapprNc \?rrH THE Car, oIr ()\ c.\\\AS. ri r 18"

C$r€€r 7lrwing Point . . .

"I worked for ten years as an illustrator but I gottired of the compromise, not being able to controlthe work, so I started to do fine art. My first show

was successful and I just kept building on that.And my subject matter has evolved as well, there

was not a huge eureka moment. Even when the

subject matter was a little different, it was always

rccogtlizable as my style."

T'he {;all*ry Says . " .

"Malcolm Liepke is, without a doubt, one of this country's most influentialpainters. In any given art magazine, one can see a slew of painters who have

obviously been "influenced" by the Liepke style of painting. And not only are

his works influencing other painters, but fashion designers, photographers and

many other creative types have been moved by an utilize Liepket palette, use ofpatterns and fabrics and deeply intimate and emotional works.''

-Steve {.}iaruant, l)irecror, Arcac{itt {iallerx'

convey, he states that he does not paint using live models

and all of the figures in his paintings come straight fromhis imagination.

"I find it hard to rvork u.ith models," says Liepke."So, most of rvhat I do is made up. I start rvith thumb-nail sketches rvhich are just basicalll. abstract composi-

tions, blocks patterns, and then I think about models

that will fit into the compositions. It's a rvay oF creatingmy own reality."

Coliectors keep coming back to Liepke's rvork because

of the stror-rg emotional content the figures in these

paintings are able to conve)1

"People connect rvith "vork

that has a strong

emotional qualitl. to them," says Liepke. "lt has to speak

to them. And I paint people, that's what I do, I don't pair.rt

cars or landscapes or still lifes. I rvant that emotional

connection and in the end that tends to gravitate torvards

depicting people."And for Liepke, this emotional content that most

people relate to is, in the end, a yeaming to understand

the simple truths that make us human."Tiuth speaks dorvn from the ages," says Liepke. 'And, ittthe same rvitl.r art, peoplc like it because it allows them tofeel more human and less alone, it's a connection that

e\reryone has. The look in people's faces in the workarrempts to do this, to strikc that human chord. Al1 art

is able to achieve this, if it is done right, an abiliry toconnect to something bigger than yor-rrself."

This is also why Liepke has alr,vays beer.r a keen

student ofhistory and classical painting."I love great drawing, greirt painting," says Liepke.

"l love I9th century painting with the great brushstrokes

ar.rd great drarving ability. It's the classical craft of paintingthat is mosr important, and if you're going to bc a figr-rre

painting, you have to know how to draw and paint prettys,ell. You can't hide bad drawing." o

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