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ABOUT:

It was art that altered Harlan's trajectory.

He was born in West Baltimore,MD and raised in Harlem, Brownsville and East New York, Brooklyn, all economically and socially disadvantaged communities, but for Harlan life was also beautiful. It was early exposure to art that made all the difference. Art opened new doors in his mind, it was the key to willingly maximizing and developing his potential and a sense of majestic possibilities. Art created in him the ability to see his inner-city and the outside world from a broader perspective. He is a marketing expert with a unique combination of creative and analytical skills with diverse experience in various industries, including fashion footwear design, global manufacturing, illustration, fine art and retailing.

He has been honing his skills in post-war abstract expressionism for the past several years. Brandon blended  his artistic tool chest and his skills of twenty-four years of marketing, design and global manufacturing, bringing about a perfect marriage of his four passions. Brandon’s evolution into abstract art has allowed him to introduce other elements to his art and extend the range of his talent even further. Brandon’s pieces are the perfect balance of artistry and execution. He has been known for a relentlessly evolving body of images that consider both the history and technical tools of post-war abstract expression.

He approaches each piece in a particular way. From painting, each family of images are characterized by a different process. Using his technique of acrylic painting consists of a slow overlapping, layer by layer, of different colors, to obtain abstract works ranging from minimal to more complex works. Blues and greens are often recurrent in his works, but each art piece is an open experiment to discover new nuances by mixing the colors.Brandon has continued to push his own boundaries, re-inventing his work with each new piece while continuing to maintain the cohesive thread that creates his signature looks.

 

A great lover of cool jazz and world history, he draws most of his inspiration from architecture and urban cultures. For this reason his abstract paintings are the result of a translation of emotions through an encounter with form and color. In this way, the love of structural beauty and color emerges through his techniques, and is instantly noticed by the viewer.

With a life rich with mentors from advertising CEO's, Congressman to museum directors, all have played a role in Harlan's multi-hyphenate career. As an artist he was most influenced by his teacher and mentor, Henry Geldzahler, Modernist art historian and curator for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Geldzahler had a personal rapport with many contemporary artists including David Hockney, Alice Neel, Frank Stella, Andy Warhol and Larry Rivers. It was these special relationships that gave Brandon insight into the New York modern art world.

He’s a graduate from New York’s School of Visual Arts where he earned a BFA in Fine Arts and Marketing. Parsons School of Design and NYU Stern Business School, Executive Program / Museum of Modern Art, Certificate in Post-War Abstract Art

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