Adam Bustamante: The Birds & the Bees

On view: May 8–June 22, 2025
Opening reception: May 8, 5:00–8:00pm

Portraits as status symbols disappeared from our social radar screen over half a century ago, replaced by Selfies and the implied threat that Everyday is Casual and nothing lasts. Lucky for us, Adam Bustamante didn’t get the memo.

The Birds and the Bees, 12 paintings by Adam Bustamante, is kind of a series of portraits in that he focuses our attention on the human face, that window to our souls that has always been a source of comfort, the way we recognize each other in an embarrassingly intimate way. Except Adam’s portraits don’t follow the rules we understand. Sure, he captures our ideals of beauty, the long, elegant necks, the shape of a perfect ear. And like Rembrandt, he paints so realistically there is no confusion. He’s talking about us.