Matthew Brannon (b. 1971, St. Maries, Idaho) has long been recognized not only for his wit and literary sensibility, but also for the precision with which he approaches his chosen mediums. He is perhaps best known for his radical approach to printmaking, which, contrary to traditional usage, frequently involves the elaborate production of unique artworks. The vocabulary and voice developed in the prints–arch and erudite, with a sharply psychoanalytic bent–has provided the center for an expanding world of objects and narratives that also includes painting, sculpture, video, and installation. Since 2015 Brannon has almost exclusively turned his attention to the Vietnam War, conducting exhaustive research for a profound engagement with this generation-defining trauma. In the multi-faceted works that emerge from this project, Brannon confronts the messy business of narrating history, creating his own versions of “primal scenes” in the American psyche.
Brannon has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Marino Marini Museum, Florence (2013); Portikus, Frankfurt (2012); Museum M, Leuven, Belgium (2010); Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria, New York (2007); and Art Gallery of York University, Toronto (2007). His work is in the permanent collections of numerous museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY; Denver Art Museum; DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art, Athens; and Museo MADRE, Naples, Italy. In 2019 Gregory R. Miller & Co. published Concerning Vietnam, a book dedicated to Brannon’s multiyear project investigating the Vietnam War. Brannon lives and works in New York.
Matthew Brannon
Concerning Vietnam: Presidential Palace, December 1967, 2018
silkscreen with hand-painted elements on paper
52 x 65 inches
(132 x 165 cm)
framed:
56 1/4 x 69 1/4 x 1 3/4 inches
(143 x 176 x 4.4 cm)
Matthew Brannon
Concerning Vietnam: Bell AH-1S Cobra, Pilot’s Seat, 2016-2017
silkscreen with hand-painted elements on paper
66 1/2 x 52 inches
(168.9 x 132.1 cm)
framed:
70 1/4 x 55 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches
(178.4 x 141.6 x 3.8 cm)
Matthew Brannon
Short-Timer Calendar, Nude 1: 46 Days, 2017
letterpress with hand-painted elements on paper
31 1/2 x 45 inches
(80 x 114.3 cm)
framed:
34 5/8 x 48 1/8 x 1 1/2 inches
(87.9 x 122.2 x 3.8 cm)
Matthew Brannon
Frame of Reference, 2013
enamel and acrylic on sintra, string
overall:
104 x 82 1/2 x 1/4 inches
(264.2 x 209.6 x .6 cm)
Matthew Brannon
Undivided Attention (Leopard), 2013
DVD: two channels HD NTSC
34:45 minutes
Matthew Brannon
Sexual Tension, 2013
silkscreen on canvas, wool, wood, steel
95 x 70 x 1 inches
(241.3 x 177.8 x 2.5 cm)
Matthew Brannon
The Praying Mantis, 2012
acrylic and enamel on canvas
72 x 60 x 1 1/2 inches
(182.9 x 152.4 x 3.8 cm)
Matthew Brannon
Tour Guide, 2010
sculpture: steel, enamel, wood
print: letterpress on paper
sculpture:
39 1/2 x 237 1/2 x 97 inches
(100.3 x 603.3 x 246.4 cm)
print:
24 x 18 inches
(61 x 45.7 cm)
Matthew Brannon
Poodle, 2008
words on a page, ink on paper, wood, and brass
8 1/2 x 20 x 8 1/2 inches
(21.6 x 50.8 x 21.6 cm)
Matthew Brannon
The Price of Admission, 2007
matte black vinyl foil
316 x 131 inches
(803 x 333 cm)
Installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria, New York
Matthew Brannon
More Autopsy than Diagnosis, 2006
letterpress on paper
24 x 18 inches
(61 x 45.7 cm)
framed:
25.63 x 19.63 inches
(65.1 x 49.9 cm)
Matthew Brannon
Sick Decisions, 2004
silkscreen on paper
40 x 26 inches
(101.6 x 66 cm)