Boston, MA – Tony Fusco and Robert Four are honored to present an extraordinary selection from the estate of the Boston and Nantucket artist, Philip B. Hicken (1910-1985), most of which have not been shown for more than 30 years. Recognized as a consummate colorist in both oil paintings and silkscreen prints, his career spanned the late 1930s until 1985 when he died while still active in the Nantucket art scene. Among the stunning oil paintings being shown are “Harbor Wall”, “Promontory Bay, Nantucket”, “South Beach, Nantucket”, and the strongly graphic “New England Quarry” painted in casein.   All works are for sale and on view during July and August at www.FuscoFourModern.com. For information please call Tony Fusco at 617-363-0405.

As a pioneer of the early color silkscreen, his favorite medium, in 1940 Hicken was included in the first exhibition devoted entirely to silkscreen prints, which took place at the Springfield Museum of Fine Art, and included works by Hicken, Landon, Gottlieb, Harari, Olds, Velonis, Lozowick and others. More than thirty of his early silkscreens are listed in Dave and Reba Williams’ seminal work “Early History of the Screenprint”, including three from 1948: “Yachting, Charles River Boston”; “Red Tug, Boston”, and “The Lamp”. Many of his early works are rare. His editions were small, and he pulled them himself, painstakingly layering the colors to create the final image. For example “Red Tug” uses 14 different colors and was an edition of only 40.

After his discharge from the Army in 1946, he began a teaching career as a painting instructor at Boston University and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and was Chair of the Department of Design at Boston School of Art, which later became The Art Institute of Boston.

His memberships and affiliations included the Boston Arts Festival, Boston Printmakers, Cambridge Art Association, Royal Society of Art, National Serigraph Society, American Artists Congress, Boston Watercolor Society, and the Artists Association of Nantucket. His works were exhibited nationwide and his work is held in the collections of numerous universities and museums. He was instrumental in developing the modern screenprinting technique and he received international acclaim and many awards.

He continued to create prints until well into the 1970’s, with a total output of over 100 works.   Hicken may well be the longest practitioner of the screenprint process, and perhaps its most prolific.

Since 1988, Fusco & Four Modern has specialized in American and European works of art from about 1920 to about 1980.  This was an exciting era for fine art, reflecting both design movements and social changes: Art Deco, WPA Period, Social Realism, Regionalism, Modernism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism and more. Visit the complete online collection at www.FuscofourModern.com.  

Tony Fusco and Robert Four are also the producers of the 22nd Annual Boston International Fine Art Show taking place October 18-21; the Sixth Annual Boston Design Week March 27-April 7, 2019; and the 11th Annual AD20/21 HOME, April 4-7, 2019. For more information visit www.BostonArtFairs.com.

##

Editor’s Notes:

• Additional background on Philip Hicken available on request
• Additional photos available.