The Art Guys (Michael Galbreth (born 1956 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, died 2019 in Houston, Texas) and Jack Massing (born 1959 in Buffalo, New York) are a collaborative artist team based in Houston, Texas.^[1]

History

The Art Guys have worked together since 1983 after meeting while students at the University of Houston.^[2] For the exploration of their ideas, they employ a wide variety of media including sculpture, drawing, performances, installations and video. Food, drugs, pencils, baseball bats, car lot flags, toothbrushes and matches are among the unconventional materials they have used.^[3]

Described in the New York Times as "a cross between Dada, David Letterman, John Cage and the Smothers Brothers," The Art Guys present a blend of performance, conceptual and visual art that explores the absurdities of contemporary life.^[4]

They have received Artadia Awards in both 2004 and 2006.^[5]

Not artists

The Art Guys became "not artists" on April 1, 2016, at 12:05 am after 33 years of collaboration. Hallelujah! the blind can see again; the water's fine.^[6]

Solo exhibitions

The Art Guys have shown in the following solo exhibitions:^[7]

• 2015-“The Tunnel of Love”, One Allen Center, Houston, Texas
• 2015-“Some Conceptions”, Gensler, Houston, Texas
• 2014-“Nullities and Vacuities”, Kimura Gallery, University of Alaska-Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska
• 2014-“Scattershot”, Wynne Home Arts Center, Huntsville, Texas
• 2012-“The State of Texas v. Gary Sweeney v. The Art Guys”, Unit B Gallery, San Antonio, Texas
• 2012-“Funny Space”, organized by Snack Projects, The Menil Collection Bookstore, Houston, Texas
• 2011-“The Art Guys: Right Before Your Eyes”, Bradbury Gallery, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, Arkansas
• 2011-“Idle Chatter”, Space 204, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
• 2011-“The Meronomic Antinomy of the Transfinite Realm (She's a Brick House)”, The Wrong Again Gallery, Memphis, Tennessee
• 2009-“New Clichés”, McClain Gallery, Houston, Texas
• 2009-“The Art Guys: Bag of Tricks”, Ben Bailey Art Gallery, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas
• 2007-“The Art Guys: Cloud Cuckoo Land Selections from 25 Years of Drawings, Proposals, Failed Schemes and Pipe Dreams”, Galveston Art Center, Galveston, Texas (traveling exhibition)
• 2007-“The Art Guys: Seeing Double”, Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, Florida
• 2007-“Two guys walk into a hardware store...”, Galleri Andersson Sandstrom, Umeå, Sweden
• 2007-“White Wash” (The Art Guys with That's Painting Productions), l’ecole du BAOUM, Grenoble, France
• 2006-“Two guys walk into a hardware store...”, Birke Art Gallery, Huntington, West Virginia
• 2006-“The Art Guys: Nothing To It”, Beeville Art Museum, Beeville, Texas
• 2005-“The Art Guys: Food For Thought”, Art League of Houston, Houston, Texas
• 2004-“Reality TV: A New Series”, Marfa Book Company, Marfa, Texas
• 2004-“America's Greatest Artists”, Galerie Stefan Andersson, Umeå, Sweden
• 2003-“What's The Big Idea?”, Cornell DeWitt Gallery, New York, New York
• 2002-“The Art Guys: Sweet And Sour”, (in conjunction with FotoFest 2002) Central Market, Houston, Texas
• 2002-“Serenity”, Sawhill Gallery, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia
• 2001-“Once Is Not Enough”, Redbud Gallery, Houston, Texas
• 2001-“Once Is Not Enough - Again”, Cornell DeWitt Gallery, New York, New York
• 2001-“SUITS: The Clothes Make The Man”, The Museum of Fine Arts-Houston, Houston, Texas
• 2001-“Laughing Building”, Masonic Lodge, Marfa, Texas
• 2000-“Tunnel of Love”, Sala Diaz, San Antonio, Texas
• 1999-“The Art Guys Again and Again”, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, Washington
• 1999-“Kit and Caboodle”, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), Scottsdale, Arizona
• 1999-“The Art Guys: An Exhibition of New Work”, Barry Whistler Gallery, Dallas, Texas
• 1998-“Business As Unusual”, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA), Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• 1998-“Common Nonsense”, De Saisset Museum, Santa Clara, California
• 1998-“Call of the Wild”, Columbus State University, Columbus, Georgia
• 1997-“The Great Hunting And Fishing Expo”, Braunstein/Quay Gallery, San Francisco, California
• 1997-“seeing the elephant”, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, Buffalo, New York
• 1997-“Hunting And Gathering”, Halsey Gallery, College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina
• 1997-“Wildlife”, Austin Museum of Art, Laguna Gloria, Austin, Texas
• 1996-“The Great Outdoors”, Lynn Goode Gallery, Houston, Texas
• 1996-“The Art Guys: Goods and Services”, Blue Star Art Space, San Antonio, Texas
• 1996-“Visualize The Art Guys”, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, Kansas City, Missouri
• 1995-“The Art Guys: Think Twice”, Contemporary Arts Museum-Houston, Texas (catalog, traveled to the Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, Texas
• 1995-“The Art Guys Variety Show”, Braunstein/Quay Gallery, San Francisco, California
• 1995-“The Fan Array (And Other New Work)”, Capp Street Project, San Francisco, California
• 1995-“The Game Show”, Barry Whistler Gallery, Dallas, Texas
• 1994-“Good and Plenty”, Lesikar Gallery, Houston, Texas
• 1994-“Today's Special”, Palomar Restaurant, Houston, Texas (catalog)
• 1993-“Something From Nothing”, UAA Gallery, University of Alaska-Anchorage
• 1993-“Art Guise”, Janie Beggs Gallery, Aspen, Colorado
• 1993-“Those Art Guys Again”, Barry Whistler Gallery, Dallas, Texas
• 1992-“Group Show”, 0-1 Gallery, Los Angeles, California
• 1991-“AAAArt Guys”, Barry Whistler Gallery, Dallas, Texas
• 1991-“Art Guys”, Gallery 3, Huntington, West Virginia
• 1990-“Art Guys”, Barry Whistler Gallery, Dallas, Texas
• 1989-“Talking Pictures: The Art Guys at Full Tilt”, Sonic Arts Gallery, San Diego, California
• 1989-“don't get left behind get right behind”, San Jacinto College, Houston, Texas
• 1986-“Mustaches For Seattle: Sea/Hou-Hou/Sea”, 911, Seattle, Washington
• 1985-Untitled Installation, Butler Gallery, Houston, Texas
• 1985-“Particles”, Midtown Art Center, Houston, Texas
• 1983-“GMAALSBSRIENTGH”, Studio One, Houston, Texas

Selected group exhibitions

Notable group shows include:^[7]

• 2012-“Western Sequels, Art from the Lone Star State”, Athens School of Fine Arts, Athens, Greece, traveled to Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul, Turkey
• 2009-“No Zoning: Artists Engage Houston”, Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas
• 2007-"Duiying–Yingdui – Corresponding & Responding”, curated by James Surls, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China
• 2007-“40 Years of Public Art in New York City Parks”, The Arsenal Gallery, Arsenal, Central Park, New York, New York
• 2006-Texas In China”, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, China
• 1993-“Here's Looking At Me”, Espace Lyonnais D’Art Contemporain, Lyon, France (catalog)
• 1992-"Flux Attitudes," The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, New York (catalog)
• 1989-"Project Diomede," The Clocktower, P.S.1, New York, New York

Selected bibliography

• The Art Guys: Cloud Cuckoo Land (Selections from 25 Years of Drawings, Proposals, Failed Schemes and Pipe Dreams). Galveston, Texas, Galveston Arts Center, 2007.
• Creative Time: The Book. New York, New York, 2006.
• Houston Contemporary Art. Shanghai, Shanghai Art Museum, 2006.
• Suits: The Clothes Make the Man. New York, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2000.
• Guinness World Records 2000 Millennium Edition, Britain: Guinness World Records, Ltd., 2000.
• The Art Guys Think Twice. New York, New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1995.
• Autoportraits Contemporains: Here's Looking At Me. Lyons, France: Espace Lyonnaise d’art Contemporain, 1993.
• FluxAttitudes. New York, New York: The New Museum of Contemporary Art, 1991.

References

External links

• The Art Guys official website