Brian Rideout’s oil paintings of domestic interiors blur lines of time and reality
For Brian Rideout’s solo show in New York, the Toronto-based painter drew from gallerist Patrick Parrish's rich collection of design books to create new works
![Brian Rideout paintings at Patrick Parrish](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GqE3R7Ht5UTffQbn75R5nk-415-80.jpeg)
The hypnotising, dream-like interiors depicted in Brian Rideout’s ‘American Collection Paintings’ series might seem unreal, but they are actually drawn from photographs in design books and magazines that Rideout then transforms into immersive and contemplative oil paintings.
Available to view in a solo exhibition at Patrick Parrish Gallery in New York’s Tribeca neighbourhood (until 21 October 2023), Rideout’s stunning paintings not only showcase rarified interiors filled with highly collectible and storied objects, they infuse a tongue-in-cheek, ‘meta’ twist that accompanies the transference of detail when changing mediums.
Brian Rideout's 'American Collection Paintings' at Patrick Parrish
Rideout has developed his ‘American Collection Paintings’ series for years. The Toronto-based painter makes it a point to maintain and honour the layered history immortalised in the published images, so that his work serves almost as a visual record of design trends and eras, while simultaneously commenting on how highly regarded publications impact the design and art cannon.
‘There’s something so compelling in the idea of collecting, whether it be books with images of beautiful objects or the beautiful objects themselves. This idea of ownership and aspiration, reference and resource. There’s so much cultural history in these images,’ says Rideout. ‘I like to think about how these images function in relation to painting as historical documentation. There are all these different avenues of history that these images contain – art history, industrial design, interior design, furniture design, even down to the book and plant collections. To me, they are contemporary history paintings, time capsules of taste and taste-making.’
In the solo exhibition at Patrick Parrish Gallery, several of Rideout’s source images are taken from Parrish’s own vast collection of books. ‘I had admired Brian’s work on Instagram, but by the time I reached out he was already working with another gallery in Miami,’ says Parrish, who features in our Wallpaper* USA 300 guide to creative America. ‘Years later when he was a free agent, we started talking in my booth at the NADA show in NYC and brainstormed this idea. It was a great fit, as I have an extensive library of 20th-century historic modern interiors and he had the vision to put these iconic images on canvas, unlocking them from the confines of my bookshelves, freeing them in a way.’
Rideout says, ‘It was a great experience getting to go through Patrick's book collection [and] pull images for the show. His history with his book collection was a golden opportunity for reference material for my work. It turns out we have a very similar eye for what makes a good and important image. I even ended up finding some of the original printings of some images I’ve used in previous American Collection Paintings that I’ve only ever seen online.’
He adds, ‘My obsession is the image – more than the real thing, I love the image. The printed image, the painted image, the document of the thing rather than the thing itself. When I look at something like Patrick’s archive, it’s that mass of images that excites me – it’s like having access to the painting storage at the Met. I love the organisation and categorisation of an archive like that – it provides a real glimpse at a specific part of human history.’
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Rideout’s ability to capture the intimacy of these privately owned spaces and collections, and convey that publicly is one of the most compelling aspects of the work. He says, ‘I see three overlapping parallels at work with this show; my practice, where I collect images, overlaps with Parrish’s archive, where he collects books, which overlaps with the collections of art and design objects depicted in my paintings. Through these connections, American Collection Paintings explores the exhibitionism inherent to collections – the need to present them – with the collection existing in an intimate liminal space, public only through images (as with art collectors and images of their homes, or Parrish’s images from books on his blog, or my paintings in the gallery setting).’
Brian Rideout's 'American Collection Paintings' are on view until 21 October 2023
Patrick Parrish Gallery
50 Lispenard St
New York, NY 10013
Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Studio Shamshiri and Abask unite on the softest interior décor collection
LA-based Studio Shamshiri joins forces with Abask on a new collaboration of interior objects including pillows, throws, and eyemasks
By Tianna Williams Published
-
The best American furniture design finds a dream home
Celebrating the best American furniture design, our dream house was created by set designer Stefan Beckman for August 2024 Wallpaper* – come on in
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
‘Midcentury modern is as American as punk rock’: 22RE on its latest full-scale project
The new LA offices of music branding agency Ceremony of Roses, designed by local studio 22RE, are a real conversation starter
By Carole Dixon Published
-
Globetrotting designer Mark Grattan shares his latest plans and next moves
Amid his meteoric rise, Mark Grattan speaks with Wallpaper* about his trailblazing career, 'getting the right type of help', and calculating his next move
By Laura May Todd Published
-
Ido Yoshimoto turns salvaged wood into sculptural pieces at his northern Californian workshop
Visiting Ido Yoshimoto at his California studio, we talk to the artist about his work with wood, from his beginning as an arborist to his sculptures and furniture made with local reclaimed material
By Shonquis Moreno Published
-
12 American icons of design, from cowboy boots to the MacBook Air
Our star-spangled round-up hails American icons of design and their latest iterations, from Pharrell Williams' cowboy boots to the Tiffany Lock, and a tiny yellow cab
By Jack Moss Published
-
Wallpaper* USA 400: meet the people shaping Creative America in 2024
The Wallpaper* USA 400 honours the people defining America's creative landscape in 2024, from legends to rising stars, activists to celebrity shapeshifters
By Wallpaper* Published
-
August 2024 Wallpaper*: Creative America is on sale today and free to download
Enjoy a free digital copy of August 2024 Wallpaper* – our celebration of the USA as a creative superpower – when you sign up to our daily digest of news
By Bill Prince Published