Peter Opheim

Peter Opheim is American-based artist, who was born in Germany. He is currently working in New York. He studied Oriental studies and Economics at St. Olaf College, dreaming about becoming an artist. Opheim began his way in the art sphere as an abstractionist, but later he moved away from this direction. He wanted to create something unique, unusual and provocative - and so a series of works depicting the incredible clay figures was born.

He creates a new fantasy world, populated by characters who never exist in reality. However, his paintings have a real referent: colorful clay figurines, manufactured by the artist. He paint either their portraits or still life. Cute little animals of irregular shape refer to the world of childhood, which is the main object of artistic reflection. Childish fears rooted in deformed body parts, in unnatural colors, like an archetypal fear hides behind the innocence of the plot in fairy tales.

Peter held a number of personal national and international exhibitions and received a grant from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation. Several of his artworks are in the collections of New York and South Korean museums; others have become the property of private collections such as Hallmark, Northwest Airlines, and the Venetian Hotel collection in Las Vegas.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2019

HAVE A GOOD DAY EVERYONE, HPFGallery, Tokyo, Japan

HIM / HER, Powen Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan.

HIM / HER, Moon Gallery, Yangon, Taiwan.

2018

BEN AND STEVE, ASKERI GALLERY, Moscow, Russia

FABLES OF THE ONE HUNDRED MOUNTAINS, Powen Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan

2017

WUNDERKAMMER, Rood Gallery, Brooklyn, New York

PETER OPHEIM AND POREN HUANG, Powen Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan

2016 

FABLES OF THE ELEVEN ROOMS AND SIX HOUSES, Zevitas Marcus, Los Angeles, California

2014

THE PLACE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF AIR, Now Contemporary Art, Miami, Florida 

2012 

LAND, Boltax Gallery, Shelter Island, New York

FOREST, Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts

2011

HERE, The Columns Gallery, Seoul, Korea

PETER OPHEIM | NEW PAINTINGS, VOLTA NY, Steven Zevitas Gallery, New York, New York

2009

SARANWRAP UP MY LITTLE LIFE, Donna Leatherman Fine Art, New York, New York

BIG PIE MODERN ARCHITECTURE, Gallery Jones, Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada

 

SELECTED GROUP PROJECTS

2019

SCOPE NEW YORK, ASKERI GALLERY, New York, USA

NEW YORK, Hankyu Umeda Gallery, Osaka, Japan

ART MARKET SAN FRANCISCO, with Marloe Gallery, San Francisco, California, USA

2018

GRACIOUS ART, ASKERI GALLERY, Moscow, Russia

SHANGHAI ART FAIR, ASKERI GALLERY, Shanghai, China

COSMOSCOW, ASKERI GALLERY booth, Moscow, Russia

2015 

THE GUSTON EFFECT, Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts

VALENTINE’S CARDIOVASCULAR, Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, Massachusetts

2014 

PUMPKIN PIE, Daniel Rolnik Gallery, Los Angeles, California

2013 

GROUP EXHIBITION, MIAMI PROJECT, Steven Zevitas Gallery, Miami, Florida

BY THE SEAT OF OUR PANTS, Boltax Gallery, Shelter Island, New York

WHY AM I SO AWKWARD, Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts

GROUP EXHIBITION, ArtMRKT Hamptons, Boltax Gallery, Brigehampton, New York

PINK, The Columns Gallery, Seoul, Korea

GROUP EXHIBITION, ArtMRKT San Francisco, Steven Zevitas Gallery, San Francisco, California

CHILDS PLAY, Sarasota Art Center, Sarasota, Florida

GROUP EXHIBITION, New Contemporary Art, Miami, Florida

WHAT CAN I DO FOR MY SALVATION, The Columns Gallery, Seoul, Korea

2012

GROUP EXHIBITION, Miami Project, Steven Zevitas Gallery, Miami, Florida

ART PLATFORM LOS ANGELES, Steven Zevitas Gallery, Los Angeles, California

GALLERY ARTISTS AND COLLECTION, The Columns Gallery, Seoul, Korea

GROUP EXHIBITION, Art Pad San Francisco, Steven Zevitas Gallery, San Francisco, California

GROUP EXHIBITION, ArtMRKT San Francisco, Boltax Gallery, San Francisco, California

AT HOME: LIVING WITH ART AND DESIGN, The Columns Gallery, Seoul, Korea

2011 

I AM WHO I AM; The Portrait Reconsidered, Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts

GROUP EXHIBITION, NEXT Art Fair, Steven Zevitas Gallery, Chicago, Illinois

GROUP EXHIBITION, Seoul Open Art Fair, Columns Gallery, Seoul, Korea

INAUGURAL EXHIBITION, Columns Gallery, Seoul, Korea

GIVEN A MINISCULE LEDGE, Norwood, Curated by Liz Parks, New York, New York

GROUP EXHIBITION, Korea International Art Fair, Columns Gallery, Seoul

2010 

A PRIVATE EXHIBITION: WORKS BY LE CORBUSIER, Nall, Pablo Picasso, Peter Opheim, Donna Leatherman Fine Art,New York, New York

SIZE SENSITIVE, Gallery Jones, Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada

2009 

OUTSIDE IN, WASSAIC PROJECT, Maxon Mills Art Center, Wassaic, New York

2008 

IN FOCUS, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington

SELECTIONS: Modern and Contemporary Abstractions, The Hardwood Museum of Art, Taos, New Mexico

AWARDS

 The Pollock/Krasner Foundation Grant, New York, New York, October, 1995

SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

First National Bank, San Antonio, Texas

Hallmark, Kansas City, Missouri

Harwood Museum of Art, Taos, New Mexico

Magnolia Hotel, Houston, Texas

Northwest Airlines, Memphis, Tennessee

The Progressive Art Collection, Cleveland, Ohio

The Purme Foundation, Seoul, Korea

Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada