Ralph Allen Massey (b. 1938) American, Surreal Acrylic and Gouache on Panel. Depicts Edward Hopper's classic image "Nighthawks" (1942) but with an added forced perspective and an antique Ford pick-up truck carrying a abstract metallic-looking structure in its bed in front of the diner.  Title and attribution on label on back: "Stainless Radiance." 

Size: 38 3/8 X 26 1/4 in. 

#3745 . 

American visual artist Ralph Allen Massey was born in 1938 in Los Angeles, California, and he always likes to point out that it was the same year when Superman and Action Comics figures first appeared. The realm of comics, bright colors, stark images and larger than life characters combined with irreverence and whimsy became an indelible part of his career for over 60 years. While serving in the military and stationed in Germany he drew copies of famous pieces of art in museums in his spare time, and found that his fellow soldiers were very amused when he would “embellish” them, often with anachronistic, pornographic, or irreverent juxtapositioned figures. He spent several years at the Art Institute in San Diego pushing the boundaries between popular and “high” art, a trend he continued despite early critical failure, and he left school to begin exhibiting throughout the United States in 1967. Developing a style he refers to as “Deadpan Pop Realism,” he blends popular imagery of sculpture, figurines, and lush paintings in an original composition that manipulates and redefines many familiar icons. Widely known for his tendency to juxtapose contemporary fine art with more comical and playful pieces, the artist has amassed signature appeal amongst popular culture lovers and art collectors alike. Despite being in his 80s, he has had recent exhibitions at the Petersen Automotive Museum, Avenue 50 Studio, and at the Skidmore Contemporary Art. His most recent exhibitions have been at bG Gallery, who have presented annual showcases of his work since 2022, creating an immersive one-man testament to his artistic journey.