NYC-based Lou Pimentel continues his Vintage Gold series—featuring original watercolor paintings paired with their vintage action-figure inspirations—with his upcoming Influential Figures solo which opens virtually at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles on Friday (1.8).
The Vintage Gold concept is inspired by Pimentel’s childhood experience of browsing and coveting action figures nestled in their blister-carded packaging. Pimentel released the first 20 Vintage Gold figure + painting pieces at New York Comic Con in 2018 and a subsequent 20 pieces for NYCC 2019, each time via DKE Toys.
The new show, also curated by DKE Toys, celebrates Hollywood’s iconic characters and personalities with 37 new watercolor + action figure pieces. Each features a vintage action figure and Pimentel’s watercolor painting of the actual character/person on a laser-cut backer board with a silk-screened wood back. As with the old-school toys, the action figure is secured to the painting via a clear plastic blister. The paintings vary in size from 6″x9″ to 11″x14″.
Influential figures opens virtually on Friday (1.8) with online sales starting at 12 PM PST from Gallery 1988 and a virtual gallery tour at 1:30 PM PST on Instagram Live with Lou Pimentel and gallery co-founder Jensen Karp.
