With New Year's Eve tonight and a new year of birthdays coming up, I was inspired by the notion of 'Party Hats' and wanted to see what was out there in terms of fine art that incorporated the classic pointed hat. I was not disappointed and I hope you won't be either.
So, in honor of New Year's Eve, here's a round up of 16 contemporary artists and sculptors who have made various works of art in which the party hat appears. I took a few liberties in the sense that some included are dunce caps and Will Cotton's are edible creations rendered in paint - I hope you don't mind.
Party Hat Paintings
Jeff Koons
above: Jeff Koons, 'Party Hat', 1995-97, oil on canvas, 114 3/8 x 127
Kathi Olivas:
above: The Spectator
above: Regenerate and Girl with Cat
above: conjoined rabbit boys
above: upside down boy and boy with braces
above: Bird sculptures by Kathi Olivas
Mark Ryden:
above: Jajo, Patron Saint of Clowns, 1994, Oil on Panel, 15" x 20" and detail
Will Cotton:
above: CROQUEMBOUCHE, 2010, oil on linen, 54 x 39 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Mary Boone Gallery
above: KATY, 2010, oil on linen, 34 x 24 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Mary Boone Gallery
above: RIBBON CANDY PORTRAIT, 2008, oil on linen, 36 x 32 inches
above: COTTON CANDY HANNAH, 2009, oil on linen, 47 x 32 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Mary Boone Gallery
Matthew Feyld (aka Driftwould):
above: Untitled (Grey Shirt Party Hat), Acrylic on wood panel,24 x 24" 61 x 61 cm
Dog Party oil paintings:
Party Hat Sculptures
Sarah Troper:
above: Party Hats, 2007. steel, elastic cord, 11.5cm x 10cm x 16cm (each)
Kate Mitchell:
above: Social Sculpture, 29kg Party Hat, 2011, Lead, archival quality watercolour paper, 26 cm x 9 cm radius
Amanda Louise Spayd:
above: little mixed media handmade creatures donning party hats
Darla Jackson
limited edition sculptures (also available in bronze)
above: Surprise Party (Birds), 2009,Gypsum Cement, 4”h x 5”w x 5”d
above: Surprise Party (Crow), 2009, Gypsum Cement, 6”h x 5”w x 12”d
above: Surprise Party (Rabbit), 2009, Gypsum Cement, 9”h x 6”w x 12”d
above: Surprise Party (Cat), 2009, Gypsum Cement, 15”h x 20”w x 14”d
above: Surprise Party (Raccoon), 2009, Polyurethane Resin, 14”h x 18”w x 12”d
above: Surprise Party (Fawn), 2009, Polyurethane Resin, 16”h x 18”w x 8”d
above: Fish out of Water..., 2008, Mixed Media, 24"h x 72"w x 36"d her etsy store
Cart Before The Horse - Contemporary folk art by Dylan and Jo:
above: handmade dolls and skellies, complete with party hats
Flora Art Studio:
above: Chimerical Six Series, low fire clay, 12"h x 6"w x 6" d (30.5cm x 15cm x 15cm), each sold separately
above: Algorithm Dunce Ghost Baby, low fire clay, 11" x 4.5" x 3.5" (28 x 11 x 9.5 cm).
above: Autophobia, low fire clay, 15" x 8" x 5.5"
Jeffrey Augustine Songco:
above: Party Hats, 2011, cotton and paper in locked case 6" x 4" x 4" (15cm x 10cm x 10cm), edition of 83
above: party hat installation, 2011
Kimberley Henessey:
above: BANG! parade of fools (detail) , art installation, foam and paper, 2009
above: BANG! parade of fools , art installation, mixed media, 2009
Jackie Mock:
above: Pigeon, 2010, taxidermy pigeon with party hat constructed of paper, yarn, and acrylic paint
Kristin Mariano:
Redshift leather and feather party hats by Kristin Mariano for Rick Owens
above: Selling in sets of three at Rick Owen's New York store are these wonderful back leather party hats and white feather party hats
And some Party Hat links for you:
There's even a "Keep Calm" poster available of which you can customize the color:
buy it here
Cool ugly dolls party hats by David Horvath:
buy them here
...and the prettiest party hats you can buy. Bejeweled party hats by Sereni and Shentel:
buy them here
and lastly, an easy to follow tutorial to make your own.
Happy New Year!