Bob Stanley (1932-1997)

Bob-Stanley
Interning at Aaron Galleries this summer has been more than an amazing experience. I am a student at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and am starting my sophomore year this fall. We are exposed to many artists at school, but one that I’ve fallen in love with while at Aaron Galleries is Bob Stanley.

One day when I was locating a painting in the back storage space, a large two-toned painting, purple and turquoise, caught my eye. I asked the gallery owner, Patrick, if I could bring it out for a look. It was The Beatles! I instantly fell in love.  Stanley was an artist who painted in the 1960s and was a contemporary of Andy Warhol, but never achieved the same level of fame.  Stanley referenced newspaper photos of popular bands of the time and transformed them into larger than life pop-style paintings.

Falling in love with the Beatles painting, Patrick told me to help him grab the Beach Boys painting from the back room as well. This 59 by 78 inch painting makes you step back in amazement. So in love with these pieces-I asked Patrick if I could hang them up on the wall for a few days. I brought out a few smaller pieces (including the Stones)to add to the wall as well.  This was at the beginning of the summer, and the wall of Bob Stanley’s is still up. 

~Sarah Leuchtner