Denise Bibro Fine Art is pleased to present Matt Held: facebook portraits, on view September 10 through October 3, 2009 in the Platform project space. The culmination of a series of portraits begun in 2008, the exhibition features more than 40 canvases painted from facebook profile photos. They encompass works which are funny, cool, quirky, and sometimes disturbing.

Historically, portraiture developed as a vehicle for the bourgeoisie to convey their wealth and social status. Patrons had the power to dictate the environment in which they were depicted, as well as which of their features were emphasized or diminished. Held’s project brings portraiture to the masses via facebook’s pandemic social networking site, inviting people to become part of his “group” - which has more than 6000 members - by volunteering to have their portrait painted. The stipulation is that Held himself chooses which image to render, claiming a position of power as the artist. That this project now finds itself in the realm of the art world, in the heart of the Chelsea gallery scene, brings the project full-circle.

Held has exhibited nationally, including solo shows at Optic Nerve Arts, Portland, OR; as well as Garage Walk and Stella’s, both in Seattle, WA. Selected group shows include Haskins Lab at Yale University, New Haven, CT; Gallery 364, Brooklyn, NY; and NutureArt, CUE Art Foundation, and Artists Space, all in New York City. His work has been reviewed in The New York Times, The New York Observer, New York Magazine, and Wired Magazine. Held studied at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Denver, CO.