Andrew Frieder, Artist…

Presently no one knows his name or work, but that will soon change! A highly original artist, he lived for his work. Profoundly shy, for Andy the social matrix of the contemporary art world
was too complicated to navigate. One could call him an Art Monk. In the last period of his life, the wise curators at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History –MOAH– (in the city of Lancaster, Ca., which is located in northern L.A. County) discovered that they had an undiscovered, world-class artist in their midst. A selected sampling of Andy Frieder’s art will be on display there in a group show beginning March 29. A major retrospective of the work of Andrew Frieder is planned by MOAH for June 2016.

It was my pleasure to have known Andy well, and to have seen hundreds of pieces of his work. I’m thrilled that others will now get to enjoy his art. I can’t wait for this talent to finally emerge. Although he worked in many themes (from playful to those that are wildly provocative), with the mark of a true artist, every piece exudes “Andy Style.”

I honor Andy Frieder, and miss him…he was so sweet and special!

UPDATE: Nov. 8, 2015. Andrew Frieder’s work debuted at the Outsider Art Fair in New York, this past Feb. He was immediately lauded with a flurry of articles in journals like the Huffington Post. His August show at the Good Luck Gallery in LA’s Chinatown was well received with strong reviews in the LA Times and Art News, among others. His work will be shown at ArtBasel Miami next month, and then again at the Outsider Art Fair, followed by the museum retrospective in June. The posthumous recognition is wonderful…and bittersweet.