FIERY ABSTRACT BY MICHAEL KANAREK (1970s)

A rare, abstract work from revolutionary New York illustrator MICHAEL KANAREK (1946–2015). The smooth, enamel-like surface of this oil-on-board painting seems to reference high-gloss photography; the flames conjure stalactites and stalagmites in an infernal cavern. Kanarek is undoubtedly more famous for the salacious comics he submitted to hardcore “girlie" magazines. Signed.

MICHAEL KANAREK was born in Pittsburgh in 1946. After finishing high school, he was accepted to Cooper Union Art College in Manhattan. Best known for the smutty comics he contributed to the pages of such hardcore pornographic magazines as Screw and Pleasure Weekly—drawings of “biker chicks, sexy schoolgirls, and freaky fairies”—in his later career as a production designer on TV and film projects, he won professional accolades for his skill and versatility as a cartoonist and type designer. Subject of the 2024 feature documentary, So Shoot Me: The Life and Art of Michael Kanarek. He died in 2015.

DETAILS

Artist – MICHAEL KANAREK (1946–2015)

Period – 1970s

Origin – USA

Styles/Movements – STYLES

Media – OIL

Support – BOARD

Colors – COLORS

Condition – Excellent vintage condition. May show minor signs of previous ownership and use.

Dimensions – 22 ¾" H × 12" W × 1 ½" D