Painter

Gary Simmons

Gary Simmons is an American artist known for drawing on chalkboard-like painted grounds and then smearing or erasing the image so memory, absence, and physical gesture become part of the work.


Gary Simmons quick facts

A concise reference for his materials, erasure process, and visual language.

Gary Simmons quick facts
Born1964
NationalityAmerican
Paint-related mediumChalkboard paint used as a prepared ground
Other mediaWhite pigment, pastel, drawing, installation, and sculpture
Working methodDraws on prepared dark panels, then rubs and partially erases unfixed marks by hand to create blurred, ghostlike images
Known forErasure works that connect cartoons, memory, violence, race, popular culture, and the physical act of removing an image

Sources: MoMA: boom and MoMA: Gary Simmons audio guide.