The essence of a character’s appearance is their profile. Head, face, shoulders — all the parts that get sculpted in a bust — should work together to be instantly recognisable. Artist Tom Whalen has now brought the majesty of the pop culture bust into two dimensions with these super cool art prints.
Whalen’s latest solo art show, Bust’d 2: Bust’d With a Vengeance opens at Gallery 1988 West in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 3. It’s comprised of dozens of new limited edition art prints, metal editions, wood sculptures and sketches. Each takes one of your favourite characters and reimagines them as busts, in Whalen’s trademark geometric style. Here are just a few of the pieces, most of which are exclusive.
Behead’d by Tom Whalen
Balloon’d by Tom Whalen
Band’d by Tom Whalen
Carpenter’d by Tom Whalen
Exterminat’d by Tom Whalen
Powersuit’d by Tom Whalen
Shape’d by Tom Whalen
Slash’d by Tom Whalen
Spirit’d by Tom Whalen
“The original ‘Bust’d’ show was a throwback of sorts to the small, illustrated busts that I would create and show at comic conventions ten years prior,” Whalen told Gizmodo. “Response to the first show was really great, and I saw an opportunity to continue a series that I enjoy working on. These bite-sized pieces offer me some schedule flexibility because I can do them in between larger, more time-consuming projects and offer collectors affordable, varied pieces that don’t overwhelm precious wall space.”
There will be metal editions of every single piece in the show, some in editions of three, as well as a dozen wood sculptures and 25 sketches. The show will remain on display though March.