The Art of Peter Cain
Peter Cain was a painter and draftsperson born in Orange, New Jersey. His artistic practice involved the meticulous execution of paintings and drawings, often focusing on surreal and aberrant versions of automobiles. His early works drew subjects from advertisements for luxury sedans, high end sports coupes, muscle cars, and rare or vintage automobiles. To create these forms, he frequently began by collaging source material to produce distorted and abbreviated versions of a vehicle's original shape, using these collages as studies for his final paintings.
In his later work, Cain shifted his focus toward Los Angeles gas stations and convenience stores. These landscapes were characterized by a lack of human presence and the erasure of logos and type from various signs. In these pieces, foliage was rendered using micro-faceted masses of green paint. His career included representation by the Matthew Marks Gallery in New York and participation in the Whitney Biennial.
Exhibitions and Collections
The work of Peter Cain is held in several prominent public collections, including:
His exhibitions spanned various locations, including the Daniel Weinberg Gallery in Santa Monica and the Galerie Aurel Scheibler in Cologne. His paintings and drawings were featured in several exhibitions at the Matthew Marks Gallery in New York.
Questions & Answers
Where are Peter Cain's artworks organized by color?
The Spectral Index of Peter Cain is a page that organizes the artist's artworks by their colors.
Where are Peter Cain's artworks grouped by art movement?
The movements Peter Cain worked in can be seen on the artist's All Movements page, which groups the artworks by movement.
Is there a chronological account of Peter Cain?
Peter Cain's career unfolds period by period on the artist's Chronicle page: a horizontal timeline of the artworks, grouped into career-period chapters.
In which historical period did Peter Cain work?
Peter Cain worked in the Contemporary period. The period situates the artist's activity in history.
