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Artist Robert de Michiell Died at 57

Robert

The ClampArt exhibit of his work, titled On Fire Island, opens tonight in New York City.

jerryportwood

Artist and illustrator Robert de Michiell died yesterday, Oct. 12, at the age of 57. His husband Jeffrey Wilson by his side at their home in New York City. His passing took place a day before a show of his Fire Island watercolors at ClampArt, titled On Fire Island, opens tonight, October 13 in Chelsea. It will go on as planned "in memory of a uniquely gifted illustrator who was also a kind and gentle spirit," according to a statement provided to Out.

De Michiell was fighting cancer until the very end, and according to the statement, he knew "there was a chance he might not be able to attend the show, but his presence will be felt strongly through his family, friends and work. As he he recently stated:

"These paintings symbolize my love for Fire Island and the friendships I've made there through the years. As we head into fall, I'm so glad these pieces are being shown together, allowing us all one last glimpse of summer's magic."

Artwork by Robert de Michiell

A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, de Michiell's pop culture illustrations have been featured regularly in Entertainment Weekly and the New Yorker, as well as The Wall Street Journal, Reader's Digest, and Time magazine. His Broadway posters include the revival of La Cage aux Folles and Roundabout Theatre's A Little Night Music, as well as many seasons of fundraising art for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS shows. Absolut Vodka, VH1 Fashion Awards, the New York Lottery, and Pepsi have used his advertising art and both Hanna-Barbera and the Walt Disney companies have commissioned limited edition lithographs of his interpretations of their classic animations.

The watercolors in this exhibit, which were painted from 1998 to 2015, are all inspired by Fire Island and have previously been sold in The Pines and Cherry Grove as postcards. This is the first time however that all 22 of these paintings have been displayed in their entirety. These vibrant scenes portray Fire Island as he sees it: a whimsical, sexy,candy-colored Shangri-La, full of pumped-up beach boys frolicking in the waves and finding love beneath the setting sun.

The gallery will show the exhibit from 1 p.m. on October 13, with a closing reception starting at 6 p.m. with Fire Island's DJ Lina. ClampArt Gallery is located at 531 West 25th Street, NYC.

Artwork by Robert de Michiell

The Advocates with Sonia BaghdadyOut / Advocate Magazine - Jonathan Groff and Wayne Brady

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Jerry Portwood