CARY LEIBOWITZ
Cary Leibowitz, Fuck You Metaphor! (Poodle), 2022, Latex paint on wood panel, 24 × 28 × 2 in (61 × 71.1 × 5.1 cm)
Cary Leibowitz (b. 1963, New York, NY) rose to fame in the 1990s under the moniker “Candy Ass.” Leibowitz makes bold, self-effacing artworks that comment on the contemporary art market, kitsch, Jewish identity, and queerness. Though he embraces a range of styles, his practice—which spans painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, and other pursuits—almost always features text. His childish scrawl is by turns confessional, irreverent, satirical, and poignant. Leibowitz lambastes the politics of the art world and his own neuroses, making pieces that nonetheless connect with anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider. He has exhibited in New York, Stockholm, Berlin, London, Paris, and Los Angeles, among other cities. His work belongs in the collections of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Jewish Museum, and the Peter and Eileen Norton Collection.
Cary Leibowitz, Most Very Very Very, Almost Very Very, 2020, Glaze crayon on ceramic award, 6 × 5 × 5 in (15.2 × 12.7 × 12.7 cm)
Cary Leibowitz, Self-absorbed Self-absorbed Self-absorbed, 2018, High gloss latex paint on woo, 36 in diameter (91.4 cm)
Cary Leibowitz, Isn't It Great U Like Denim, I Like Denim, 2018, Glaze crayon on ceramic plate, 6 × 6 × 1/2 in (15.2 × 15.2 × 1.3 cm)
Cary Leibowitz, Ughhh He's Crying Again, 2020, Glaze crayon on ceramic cup, 5 × 3 × 3 in (12.7 × 7.6 × 7.6 cm)
Cary Leibowitz, Rocking Chairs are a Buyers Market, 2023, Latex paint on wood pane, 12 × 9 1/2 × 1 in (30.5 × 24.1 × 2.5 cm)