The San Francisco LGBT Community Center & Queer Cultural Center are proud to introduce you to the Neo-Classical oil paintings of Gibbons. Though his work is shown enternationally, this will be his premiere exhibition in San Francisco. His work has been seen in ARTnews, GENRE, The Advocate, BLUE+ as well as exhibitions in Paris, Puerto Vallarta, Osaka, Provincetown, Fort Lauderdale, Manhattan and more.

Artist Gibbons is bringing his “Box Series”, a collection of oil paintings, to The Center. There are over one hundred paintings in the series, of which Gibbons says he is in just the early stages. The common thread of the paintings is that every one is set inside a three-square-foot box with a cloth backdrop. Inside the box are placed a variety of models who pose with numerous items. The paintings are sometimes mistaken for photographs, a nod to his meticulous style of layering line after line, creating a sort of topographical map of the human form, then blending to create a lifelike rendered flesh painting.

“After painting the classical figure for years, this particular series was inspired by a trip to Paris and long days spent at the Louvre,” said Gibbons. “The calligraphic brushwork is critically important to the execution -- it has become the anchor for my message and the framework of my current work.” Gibbons is fascinated by how the museum creates niches in the walls and places sculpture inside of them. He was drawn in by the dichotomy of the hard architectural lines and the softer curves of bodies.

The Box Series is inspired by neo-classical paintings, which usually were attached to moral messages and intrinsic narratives. “I’m trying to put the human form back out there in a classical, timeless way, as something to be celebrated,” said Gibbons. The majority of his models are young men, although the exhibit is focused more broadly on the human form. “The females represented all have something in common. They’re all very powerful, which says something about the nature of my feminine side,” said Gibbons.

Although his near life-size paintings are often sold one at a time, they are intended to be displayed in groups of 2 to 100. The center will host about thirty of Gibbons’ original works. Like the AIDS Quilt, a single painting can be touching and meaningful, but when seen with its counterparts, it takes on additional significance. Adjoining paintings influence the meaning of each work, like people in neighboring apartments. A figure listening to a wall could be paired with a figure playing music but would have a different context if paired with a figure weeping; these pairings nudge meanings in a way few other artists attempt. This is a large part of what makes Gibbons’ work different and significant—his message is one of community, relationships, and associations. Though his figures are in a box, what is outside the box is often just as important.