The Bates College Museum of Art opens a major show on June 6, Ralph Steadman: And Another Thing, featuring a visual adventure through the long career of the artist and illustrator. It runs through Oct. 11 and includes 149 objects that deftly capture Steadman’s artistic practice.
Over the last six decades, Steadman has carved out a career by presenting his uncanny, unique perspective on everything from the Kentucky Derby in the early 1970s — alongside his longtime collaborator, the late journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson — to political figures and literary treasures like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Originally slated to come to Bates in 2020 but delayed because of the pandemic, the exhibition will fill the whole museum.
Free Admission, Always
Admission to the Bates College Museum of Art is always free. Through August, the museum is open 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, closed on June 19 and July 4. See the museum’s hours page for up-to-date information.
“It’s a vast selection of work by this iconic artist,” said Samantha Sigmon, the assistant curator at the Bates Museum of Art who has curated the exhibition. “It will provide an opportunity for everyone — from longtime fans to newcomers —to engage with Ralph Steadman’s incomparable works and experience the unique mind and defining style of such a pivotal creative in American culture.”
Steadman, who is 89 and lives in the United Kingdom, will not be in attendance at the opening, but his daughter Sadie Williams arrived in Lewiston early to oversee the installation and be part of the opening festivities on June 6; the reception is 7–9 p.m.
“On an educational level, this exhibition is nothing less than a history of culture spanning multiple generations and topics — politics, literature, gonzo journalism,” said Malcolm Hill, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty. “It’s exciting to be hosting it here at Bates.”
While And Another Thing pays tribute to Thompson and Steadman’s future-defining meeting and their famed collaborations, the exhibition leads viewers on a journey through a widely varied artistic practice.
“It’s essential to have some form of expression within your reach that gives you something to dwell upon,” Steadman said. “But if I feel something is important, it may not be important to someone else. I don’t want to change anyone’s mind in an aggressive way. I hope they see my drawings and it makes them think about why I drew it and what opinion I am trying to express.”
“And Another Thing allows us to engage audiences with an exhibition that shows Steadman’s artistic evolution from his roots to the artist who continues to flourish, innovate, and be in demand at 89 years old with interest from brands such as Nike, Harley-Davidson, and Supreme, with whom he collaborated in the last three years,” said Williams.
Williams also serves as the director of the Ralph Steadman Art Collection. The collection was founded in 2010 to promote Steadman’s work and ensure his art is exhibited and reproduced to the highest standard, working closely with the artist on exhibitions, collaborative licensing, and design projects. These collaborations include work with the Alexander McQueen couture fashion house, urban fashion brand Vans, and the Royal Shakespeare Co.
Political commentary is a staple of Steadman’s work and the exhibition includes illustrations of President Donald Trump and former Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Jimmy Carter. The works demonstrate his astute political satire that meshes their traits with the scandals that plagued their presidencies.
Steadman’s use of the high-contrast chiaroscuro technique in “American Melodrama” lampoons a gallery of presidents, ranging from Dwight Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan, who are depicted as theater performers on stage. The caricatures, their countenances exaggerated with insincere smiles, demonstrate Steadman’s razor-sharp satire.
“Steadman is well known for his direct and visceral drawing style and for changing and amplifying the face of satire through his illustrations,” said Andrea Lee Harris, the exhibition co-curator.
“His art challenges us, teaches us, and alters how we see the world. Showcasing Steadman’s genius, skill, and imagination, the exhibition offers viewers a glimpse into the artist’s creative force. He has given us all a great gift and raised the bar for the generations following in his footsteps. Steadman’s inspired exhibition will delight both die-hard fans and uninitiated audiences eager to learn more.”
On display are his illustrated editions of literary classics such as Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island; Kurt Baumann’s Dozy and Hawkeye; and the inventive books Steadman authored such as I, Leonardo, The Big I Am, The Little Red Computer, That’s My Dad, and more.
“I don’t think people realize how big some of the artworks actually are,” Williams said. “Usually the art is reproduced in books, magazines, and newspapers at an eighth or even a 16th their actual size, so it’s a completely different experience to stand in front of an original. You can see the audience really absorbing the works and taking it in.”
Beautiful works from The Gonzovation Trilogy, Steadman’s collaboration with documentarian and filmmaker Ceri Levy about extinct and endangered birds and animals, sit alongside his more experimental collections such as Paranoids, caricatures of notable figures from history, entertainment, and politics that Steadman created by reworking Polaroid photographs.
Steadman explained, “What you’re doing is pushing around a light-motivated material which is still in the process of change. It’s as if you started off with a perfect blueprint of someone which you could then alter according to your needs.”
Distorted images depict famous writers and musicians, including David Bowie, Elton John, Bob Dylan, and Dolly Parton.
Vintage Dr. Gonzo, a life-size bronze sculpture by Jud Bergeron, inspired by Steadman’s drawings of Thompson, will also be touring with the exhibition.
Ralph Steadman: And Another Thing is accompanied by a full-color, 207-page publication of the same name. Special hardcover and softcover editions will be available.
Following the presentation at the Bates College Museum of Art, the exhibition will continue its tour at the Barry Art Museum at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. It will also tour the West Coast through fall 2027.
Categories Arts Creativity
