10/11/2006

California Art Galleries

Be a Hip Chick at a Shag show.

In conjunction with the December 2005 publication of SHAG, LTD. Fine Art Limited Editions, A Catalogue RaisonnĂ©, Copro/Nason Gallery is proud to present the unprecedented exhibition of all 144 fine art limited edition prints by the phenomenally popular California-based artist Josh Agle, better known as Shag. Fresh off a series of successful serigraphs of Disneyland and the re-imagining of the Pink Panther for Sony, this comprehensive retrospective of Shag’s limited edition prints includes his earliest professional efforts and his newest 2005 releases, Behind the Screen and Well Hung. Finding incongruous delight - and a bit of truth - in such recognizable human habits as courtship, seduction, sin and modes of entertainment, Shag’s paintings are rendered in eye-popping, mood-enhancing colors resulting in bright, irreverent takes on the swingin’ lifestyles of jetsetters, lounge crawlers, (literal) party animals and scene-stealing supervillains that has prompted heavy demand and rising prices. Determined that his art should be available to the broadest audience possible, Agle turned to high quality prints beginning in 1999, issuing them in limited editions to retain a sense of uniqueness at a fraction of the cost of one of his originals. These prints are collected together for the first time in SHAG, LTD. Fine Art Limited Editions, A Catalogue RaisonnĂ©. Packed with over 175 full-color reproductions – from Agle’s “pre-Shag” artistic endeavors to his very latest efforts – the book surveys the evolution of color, content and composition in his work that has turned fans into fanatics. Annotated with information from the artist’s own secret archives, this complete chronicle of Shag’s mass-produced art contains insight and enjoyment for collectors, as well as those hitherto-unacquainted with his long sold-out limited edition prints. Do not miss this rare opportunity to experience the vibrant perspective of one of America’s foremost painting talents. The SHAG, LTD exhibition opens Saturday, December 3, 2005 with a reception at 8 p.m. sponsored by Juxtapoz magazine, the leading light of today’s “lowbrow” art movement, and runs through January 21, 2006. The catalogue raisonnĂ© is due to be released December 10 with a signing beginning at 2 p.m.