Subdued Dudes

Klaire Lockheart painting in her studio. Photo by Aaron C Packard.

​South Dakota artist Klaire Lockheart couldn’t paint less like Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner if she tried, yet she was awarded a Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant. Lockheart will debut the artwork she created with support from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation in a public exhibition titled Subdued Dudes on Final Friday, March 28, 2025 from 5-7 pm at No. 7 Center Gallery, 7 Center St., Vermillion, SD. This art reception is free and open to the public. 

Jackson Pollock became famous for his drip paintings. Lee Krasner was an active Abstract Expressionist who was known for her perseverance and support of other artists. Because of Krasner’s generosity, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation was established in 1985 and has supported artists worldwide. Klaire Lockheart, who creates meticulous figure paintings, was shocked when she learned she was the first artist from South Dakota to receive the prestigious award.  

Lockheart began her project by traveling to New York to view 19th century figure paintings as part of her research process. Next, she created sketches, hired models, built stretchers, and painted. She has painted over a thousand hours in order to complete four over-the-top and highly detailed oil on canvas paintings of dudes in man caves. The characters in these large paintings are called “brodalisques” because they are bros posed as odalisques.

“I’m thrilled to debut these new brodalisque paintings,” exclaimed Lockheart. “These are the most complex paintings I have ever created. Thanks to the generosity of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, I was able to take the time to create this absurd and important artwork!”