Rex Ray
American, German, 1956-2015
Rex Ray was an American artist best known for his innovative Pop aesthetic in fine and commercial art — on canvases, wood panels, album covers, paper, book jackets, murals, and rock and roll posters.
Born in Landstuhl, Germany in 1956, Michael Patterson was raised in Colorado Springs. Before moving to San Francisco in 1981, Patterson, inspired by Andy Warhol, adopted the moniker Rex Ray. He attended the San Francisco Art Institute where he studied with Sam Tchakalian, Kathy Acker, and Angela Davis, and received his BFA in 1989. He became a major force in the Bay Area’s art, literary, and activist communities.
Ray was one of the first artists to use Mac-based technologies in the creative process to generate art and graphics. His early designs include the first graphics for the San Francisco chapter of Act Up; many guerilla marketing flyers and posters for queer nightclubs; and numerous book covers for City Lights Books and HIGH RISK/Serpent’s Tail.
Ray's impressive client roster in the music, fashion, entertainment, and design industries, includes David Bowie, The Residents, Bill Graham Presents, DreamWorks, Levis, Neiman Marcus, Sony Music, Warner Brothers, and Apple. Rex Ray designs have been licensed and produced as distinctive imagery on scarves, carpets, ceramics, wristwatches, surfboards, and even on a Mini Cooper.
During his lifetime Rex Ray generated a prolific body of painting and works on paper. His technique involved a complicated process that combined Xerography, handmade woodblock prints, newsprint, and magazine images into vibrant color schemes with parabolic forms and abstract patterns. His works reference mid-century modernism, Dada, decorative arts, Fluxus, and Pop art deployments associated with Andy Warhol and continue to speak to ideas of beauty during eras known for post-modernist and Conceptual ideologies.
Ray’s work has been included in exhibitions at the Akron Art Museum, Berkeley Art Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and more. Several books including Cut Paste, Rex Ray: Art + Design, and Information feature images with writings about his career and artistic practice.
Find Rex Ray art on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by Lucille Khornak Gallery)
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Mixed-Media and Resin Collage by Rex Ray
By Rex Ray
Located in San Francisco, CA
A mixed-media and resin collage by Rex Ray, untitled. Signed by the artist,
USA, circa 2007.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Rex Ray
Materials
Resin, Wood, Paper
Mixed-Media and Resin Collage by Rex Ray
By Rex Ray
Located in San Francisco, CA
A lovely example of Rex Ray’s graphic collage style. Rex Ray (1956-2015) was an American graphic designer and artist based in San Francisco. His work is in mus...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rex Ray
Materials
Resin, Wood, Paper
Mixed-Media and Resign Collage by Rex Ray
By Rex Ray
Located in San Francisco, CA
A mixed-media and resign collage by Rex Ray, untitled. Signed by the artist,
USA, circa 2004.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rex Ray
Materials
Resin, Wood, Paper
Mixed-Media and Resin Collage by Rex Ray
By Rex Ray
Located in San Francisco, CA
A mixed media and resin collage by Rex Ray, signed by the artist.
USA, 2007.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rex Ray
Materials
Resin, Wood, Paper
Mixed-Media and Resin Collage by Rex Ray
By Rex Ray
Located in San Francisco, CA
A mixed-media and resin collage by Rex Ray, signed by the artist.
USA, 2004.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rex Ray
Materials
Resin, Wood, Paper
Mixed-Media and Resin Collage by Rex Ray
By Rex Ray
Located in San Francisco, CA
A mixed-media and resin collage by Rex Ray, untitled. Signed by the artist,
USA, circa 2007.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rex Ray
Materials
Resin, Wood, Paper
Pyzinerol
By Rex Ray
Located in Lyons, CO
Color lithograph, Edition 30
In 2010, Ray made his first lithographs at Shark’s Ink., Pyzinerol and Pyzinerol II. Ambitious prints with 18 colors from 15...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Rex Ray
Materials
Lithograph
$6,000
Mixed-Media and Resign Collage by Rex Ray
By Rex Ray
Located in San Francisco, CA
A mixed-media and resign collage by Rex Ray, untitled. Signed by the artist,
USA, circa 2005.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Rex Ray
Materials
Resin, Wood, Paper
1996 Oasis - San Francisco Original Vintage Poster
By Rex Ray
Located in Winchester, GB
This beautiful poster was created in 1996 to promote a live concert of Oasis at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. This tour marked the second attempt of the legendar...
Category
1990s Rex Ray
Materials
Paper
$538 Sale Price
20% Off
Mixed-Media and Resin Collage by Rex Ray
By Rex Ray
Located in San Francisco, CA
A mixed-media and resin collage by Rex Ray, signed by the artist.
USA, 2007.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Rex Ray
Materials
Resin, Wood, Paper
1998 Beastie Boys - Portland Rose Garden Original Vintage Poster
By Rex Ray
Located in Winchester, GB
This beautiful vibrant poster is from the Beastie Boys concert at the Portland Rose Garden in 1998 with support from the likes of the great A Tribe Called Quest. The show saw the New...
Category
1990s American Rex Ray
Materials
Paper
$473 Sale Price
20% Off
1997 David Bowie - San Francisco Original Vintage Poster
By Rex Ray
Located in Winchester, GB
This brilliant poster is from David Bowie's 1997 concert at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, California. The show was in support of his album from the same year "Earthling" whi...
Category
1990s American Rex Ray
Materials
Paper
$375 Sale Price
20% Off
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Rex Ray furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Rex Ray furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of wood and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Rex Ray furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by Rex Ray were created in the modern style in united states during the 21st century and contemporary. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Patrick Carrara, Elena Lyakir, and rebecca ruoff. Prices for Rex Ray furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $6,250 and can go as high as $15,000, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $6,250.
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Questions About Rex Ray
- When was Rex Ray born?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertMay 30, 2024Rex Ray was born on September 11, 1956, on a military base in Germany, where his father was stationed with the U.S. Army. The American collage artist and graphic designer grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 1981, he relocated to San Francisco, California, where he attended the San Francisco Art Institute. He continued to reside in San Francisco until his death in 2015. Explore a collection of Rex Ray art on 1stDibs.