Hernan Bas: The Conceptualists

Queer aesthetics, Latinx influences, and conceptual art practices

Hernan Bas is known for complex paintings in which he interweaves a wide variety of cultural references from literature, fashion, cinema and queer history in a virtuoso technique. The Conceptualists, his latest series of works, portrays imaginary conceptual artists who engage in eccentric activities–from mixing paint with water from the Niagara Falls to gilding the leaves of dying houseplants. His large-format, detailed portraits invite the viewer to take a closer look. This monograph accompanied the exhibition of this new series of around 30 paintings at The Bass, Miami Beach. Contributions by Kevin Brazil, Isabelle Graw, Liz Munsell, Blake Oetting and the curator of the exhibition, James Voorhies, deal with Bas' queer aesthetic, Latinx influences in his work and his painterly view of conceptual art practices.