Artist: Robert Dowd (1936-1996)
Type: Color Poster
Signed: yes, in pencil
Image site: sheet: 21" x 30"
Framed: Yes w glass
Great condition aside from few slight crease.
He was an American artist who also painted under the name, Robert O'Dowd. He studied with the artist, Sarkis Sarkisian. In the late 1950's he started painting common objects, including stop signs. His first work appeared in an Art in America article by Robert Broner on the "Young Artists Group". He moved to SF in 1960 and began working on his first images of postage stamps.
In 1961 he moved to Los Angeles and began painting currency. By 1962 he was getting attention for his ground breaking paintings of common objects. Around the country several other artists were experimenting with this new concept and in 1962 he was invited to show his work it The Pasadena Art Museum. In 1962 Dowd's work was included, along with Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, JimDine, Phillip Hefferton, Joe Goode, Edward Ruscha and Wayne Thiebaud, in the historically important and ground breaking New Painting of Common Objects, curated by Walter Hopps at The Pasadena Art Museum.
These painters started a movement.
The 1960's were a time of social unrest. Dowd's fascination with currency caught the attention of the secret service as painting currency in those days, even as spoof was considered counterfeiting. They confiscated his work and said they would also visit all museums and collectors to take the rest. He switched back to painting postage stamps but continued to paint currency in private.
In 1994 the US Treasury Dept announced it was going to re-design US currency and produce "New Money". Dowd's enthusiasm was re-kindled. He planned to re-visit his work from the 1960's with a new series of paintings, New Money, his vision of what new money could or would be like. He started with the $100.00 bill and with the financial help of a close friend he produced a "limited edition" of 200 lithographs of the $100.00 bill. While planning out his other painting in the series he became ill. He moved back to L.A. And died some years later. I have owned this work for years and have conversed with Tweddle in the past years.

Excellent Condition.