Artist Statement
The work of Ed Benavente is largely focused on the illustrative portrayal of the human condition. Typically these depictions feature elongated stick man figures and other characters which fall somewhere between the likes of Giacometti and Walt Disney. Whimsical yet often with a footnote of serious thought and contemplation. The artist’s early ambitions of becoming a cartoonist show through not only in the imagery but also with the inclusion of titles for the works which often invoke truisms, philosophical references and contemporary catch phrases. Each work of art is meant to illustrate or tell a story. The idea is to reduce the elements of the image in such a way that the viewer is compelled to add to the story, details from their own experience. By doing this, one recognizes the commonality of thoughts and emotions shared by others but perhaps not always spoken.
Born 1960 in Downey, California. Currently lives in Beacon, NY.
Education
Pasadena City College
Occidental College
Selected Exhibitions
1993 Malibu International Sculpture Exhibition, Malibu, CA
1995 Gallery Exhibition, Imago Gallery, Palm Desert, CA
1996 Feast on Art, Laguna Art Museum
Summer Group Exhibit, Cerrillos Cultural Center, Santa Fe, NM
Art of the Palette, LACMA
1997 Mar Vista Art Walk, Los Angeles/Santa Monica, CA
Group Exhibition, Cerrillos Cultural Center, Santa Fe, NM
“Feast on Art 1997,” Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA
1998 Los Angeles County Museum MUSE Art Walk, Santa Monica, CA
Pier Walk '98, Chicago, IL
Orange County Museum of Art, “Feast on Art,” Newport Beach, CA
“A Taste of Time,” Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
Benefit Auction, Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA
Stop Cancer Foundation benefit, Scottsdale, AZ
1999 Los Angeles County Museum MUSE Art Walk, Santa Monica, CA
Peirwalk '99, Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois
Gallery Exhibition, Imago Gallery, Palm Desert, CA
2000 Solo Exhibition of Recent Works, Imago Gallery, Palm Desert, CA
2001 "Art in the Circle," Manhattan Heights Annex-Arts Manhattan,
Manhattan Beach, CA
2002 "Stop Cancer Foundation Benefit,” Santa Barbara, CA
Laguna Art Museum Auction, Laguna Beach, CA
"Pedestrian Observations," Imago Gallery, Palm Desert, CA
2005 “Incognito,” Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, CA
2011 Steven Kenny, Ed Benavente, Joe Zarra, Marion Royael Gallery, Beacon, NY
Corporate Collections and Public Installations:
Standard Abrasives Company, Simi Valley, CA
Malibu Country Mart, Malibu, CA
Beach & Valley Enterprises, Laguna Beach, CA
Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, Hamilton, OH
Wandell Sculpture Garden at Meadow Park, Urbana, IL
Boone Art Foundation, San Marino, CA
