Chris DeRubeis

Gallery 21 presented their biggest exhibition in it’s history – ‘Abstract Sensualism by Chris DeRubeis’ October 2023 – The UK’s largest ever Chris DeRubeis exhibition.

Modern Masterpieces – Future Investments

Chris DeRubeis’ style – “Abstract Sensualism®,” – is entirely his own. With a sleek, soft, and organically flowing aesthetic, DeRubeis artwork is earnestly collected around the world.

Biography:

Throughout history, there have been only a select few artists who have changed the way we view art. In the beginning, early man described his world by painting rock walls, using crushed berries and blood.

When the first artists discovered pigments and began painting on paper and canvas, they eventually created distinct styles such as Impressionism, Abstract, Pointillism, Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Surrealism and any other “ism” they could come up with.

Since then, most artists have copied or cloned these styles by simply adding their own spin. The resulting lack of innovation is the current “product” of many art schools.

Then along came Chris DeRubeis……. Born in 1978, it wasn’t long before De Rubeis showed a very early proclivity for drawing. He drew on any materials he could find at home to express his talents. This talent was nurtured to the fullest by his family, and at age 11 his Grandfather gave Chris his first Airbrush.

After watching Chris use his airbrush for the very first time, his Grandfather proclaimed that Chris was to become the Artist his Grandfather always wanted to be and would inevitably share his talents on the world’s grand stage.

School was viewed as a chore for De Rubeis. He enjoyed drawing figures on math tests, not solving equations; He preferred doodling beautiful landscapes in the blank spaces most teachers expected to find an essay. Teachers scolded him for not concentrating on his studies and warned that he was on the wrong path. However, this criticism did not deter him from his ultimate destiny.

Derubeis would continue to paint and take extra art classes on his lunch break. At age 20 Chris attended the Pasadena Art Center as well as the Associates in Art College in Sherman Oaks, CA. To pay for schooling he painted custom Harleys and started a successful Party T-Shirt business.

His professors tried to convince him to choose a “more commercial style” of art but he was never satisfied painting ‘…like everyone else.’

As those who know De Rubeis would be quick to tell you, he has never been one to run with the herd. He found many of these styles to be outdated and uninteresting like his history lectures. Chris continued his quest, searching for something greater and undiscovered, and then one day it happened.

While grinding the base paint off a Harley gas tank in his workshop, DeRubeis noticed something spectacularly unique. With each pass of the grinding pad a new piece of metal was exposed to the light unveiling fantastic patterns that seemingly danced off the tank, as if it had come to life….. History began!

Racing to the local metal shop and grabbing scraps of metal, DeRubeis began experimenting with different tools to manipulate the way light reacted with the surface. He introduced chemicals and paints to the surface creating unique reactions and bringing his art to life…….Abstract Sensualism was born!

“I favor metal because I can combine a form of sculpture as the foundation for my expression and have found a way to enhance my ability to communicate emotions more intently. All art should inspire and evoke emotion….Art should be something you can actually feel.”

The introduction of his unique style to the art world was met with uncertainty, as galleries had never seen or sold art like it before. It wasn’t long before his innovative style and technique were noticed and galleries across the country began inquiring about his work.

Then in 2005 DeRubeis’ work was submitted and honored with two nominations by the First Annual Fine Art Awards televised live from the MGM Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. Nominated in the “Mixed Media” and “New Movement” categories, he earned the “MUSE” Award in “New Movement” and is now known as “The Father of the Conceptual Movement.”

De Rubeis, then only 27, dedicated his award to his Grandfather who had passed away just months earlier.

In 2009 De Rubeis was signed by famed art publisher David Smith who immediately saw the future in Chris’s art. Now, DeRubeis is certainly one of the hottest selling artists in the world. His works are on permanent display in high end galleries throughout the United States and abroad.

He continues to create new styles and designs for his work, forever changing the way we view art. Yet another unique twist to DeRubeis’ artwork, his pieces are rarely shown in frames. When asked why his work is always “floated,” Chris simply replied with a smile, “WHY NOT!”

As you would imagine, artists are attempting but failing to imitate his style. DeRubeis states, “You won’t find what I create in any art school…yet.”