Fredericks & Freiser, New York, is hosting an exhibition, titled 'Esquire Showcard: Works from 1969 through 1991', by Robert Overby, on view through October 22, 2016.
The exhibition presents itself in a chronology of stylistic practice of fine arts and graphic design by American artist Robert Overby, featuring his works which range from figurative to abstract. Throughout his career, Overby used the fictitious signature- “Esquire Showcard”, where the words ‘Esquire’ refers to ambiguity of a title while the word ‘showcard’ is devoid of any sort of entitlement. Combined together, they refer to artist’s practice in fine art and graphic design from a different vantage point, where both of which act as mirror to each other, just like the words in his signature. Examining the artist’s lifelong works, the prevalence of usage of the idea of a ‘montage’ can be noticed, in a way where a singular work can be created from different fragments and components. Taking this conceptual framework as a lens to examine Overby’s works, various instances present themselves where his graphic design background bears the information and influence to his fine arts. Paintings, works on paper, and installations that layer, project and translate different visual motifs onto themselves, and each other, and the use of geometry and grids act as the middle ground where figuration and abstraction co-exist, blurring the boundaries between Overby’s practice of graphic design and fine arts.