The enigmatic artist burst on the scene alongside a group of confidants and collaborators that included Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Kenny Scharf. Hambleton soon became known for his signature “shadowman” motif, a splotched, black, leering figure that appeared on the walls of buildings in downtown Manhattan.
Just as Hambleton’s career took off he started using drugs, including heroin and crack. He relied on the drugs, particularly the heroin, to reach a mental state that he felt helped him depict the sublime. A long battle with addiction would plague him throughout his life.
Unfortunatly one of the most influencial artists of our time passed away this week, r.i.p. #richardhambleton #shadowman
— VroomandVarossieau (@vanv_streetart) October 31, 2017
Photo Søren Solkær pic.twitter.com/6LT0xjAUH1
Richard Hambleton (1952-2017) is remembered for his profound contribution to ART history. A true visionary genius who lived to create. pic.twitter.com/yarcyhVsth
— Woodward Gallery (@WoodwardGallNYC) October 31, 2017
R.I.P. Artist Richard Hambleton ( my 2014 portrait of him) #richardhambleton #shadowman pic.twitter.com/TBSLJZP47N
— Curt Hoppe (@curthoppe) October 30, 2017
Rest in peace, Richard Hambleton, godfather of NY street art. His life and work were chronicled in the 2017 Tribeca docu-portrait SHADOWMAN. pic.twitter.com/VRatDYExvF
— Tribeca (@Tribeca) October 31, 2017
RIP Richard Hambleton, the great street artist. and creator of #shadowmen. He died last night in NYC at the age of 65. pic.twitter.com/9ETa1sC2jk
— Shadowman Film (@shadowman_film) October 30, 2017
RIP Richard Hambleton, one of the greatest street artists of all time. #ShadowMan pic.twitter.com/WelGZZyBi7
— Bucky Turco (@buckyturco) October 31, 2017
RIP to the Shadowman 🖤
— Max Furr (@Maxarius) October 31, 2017
The Godfather of street art, Richard Hambleton pic.twitter.com/CkYzm9bAym
#art #shadownman #streetart #graffiti once upon a time in new york... peace to richard hambleton pic.twitter.com/td60CCYSHA
— John Fekner (@johnfekner) October 30, 2017
On November 1, 1967, an 8′ x 8′ x 8′ 1,800-pound giant black cube was installed in Astor Place as one of 25 temporary public artworks by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs. However, it was so popular that local residents petitioned the City to keep it, and except for its absences for restorations over the past few years, it has stood there ever since.
Bernard “Tony” Rosenthal’s sculpture was originally named “Sculpture and the Environment,” but was eventually renamed The Alamo by his wife, Cynthia Rosenthal, because its size and mass reminded her of the famous Alamo Mission in San Antonio.
Soon, it was deemed the perfect place to put Met Life’s new middle-class housing developments, Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village.
In 1945, 3,000 families were moved out of the Gas House District ...
According to the study’s findings from investigations in 2006 and 2008, contaminants were found, but located deep in the ground (at least five feet) with most even lower, and in groundwater beneath the site, though that water is not used for drinking. MGP residential levels tested in the air indoors were found to be typical. Outdoor air samples collected were also found to be normal for an urban area. Because of this, Con Ed said in an advisory this week that it’s unlikely people will come into contact with these contaminants, though air monitoring will continue.
Still, the company is now proposing a “remediation” (cleanup) plan for the site that involves, among other things, the placement of wells.
In New York City, only 97 out of roughly 25,000 eating and drinking establishments have a cabaret license. Obtaining one is costly and time-consuming, requiring the approval of several agencies, and only businesses in areas zoned for commercial manufacturing are eligible.
The Cabaret Law was enacted in 1926. It made it illegal to host “musical entertainment, singing, dancing or other form of amusement” without a license. The law is widely believed to have originally been used to target racially mixed jazz clubs in Harlem, but it was broadly applied. Music was not permitted at unlicensed bars at all until 1936, when the law was amended to allow radio- and piano-playing. The same year, operators of a ship that had taken men from the Bowery Mission on a day cruise were fined for running an unlicensed cabaret because a tap dancer was on board.
Inspired by the contemporary aesthetic of Italian rationalist design, 32 East 1st Street purposely lives within its urban context, presenting a substantial limestone exoskeleton accentuated by expansive windows and geometric metal detailing.
