Keen observers of the world around them, LA-based duo Rob and Christian Clayton create rich, vibrant portrayals of everyday life. Their self-defined “abstract narratives” are explosions of colour, multi-layered visual gems built with honesty, mutual respect and an underlying concern for the people and places that often go unnoticed.
Raised in Colorado, the brothers were drawn to the edgier artistic scene in California, with its skate and surf culture, punk rock and street art. Both completed their BFAs at the Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, and after briefly pursuing individual careers in the applied arts, started working together in the mid-90s. In a unique creative process, the brothers take turns to develop, edit or adapt each other’s contributions; their pieces are visual conversations in which countless objects, symbols and shades come together in a bizarre yet poignant harmony.
The Clayton Brothers have had over a dozen solo shows, including exhibitions at the Pasadena Museum of California Art and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, along with group shows across the USA, Europe and Asia. They have also participated in more than twenty visiting artist lectures around the world, and their work forms part of the permanent collections at the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; Norton Museum of Art, Florida; and Sweeney Art Gallery, California.
