Art Closing: HiCoup at Montclair Brewery

Come out for one final look at the works of our artist-in-residence: HiCoup!

As a former political activist and noted abstract expressionist painter, HiCoup, is one of the most enigmatic artists you will ever meet. His life has been nothing but a paradox. Born in Brooklyn to a college-educated mother and political activist father but raised in Jersey City in the 80’s, he still had to withstand the harsh realities of the disenfranchised. Fighting for his survival was the norm, whether it was rising from child abuse in the foster care system or dealing with gang violence in his neighborhood.

HiCoup was fully immersed in the visual art world as a child whose mother was an art aficionado and worked in the Skylight Gallery, a hub for African American artists in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. HiCoup began experimentation with mixed media through self-teaching and formal training in his early years. He attended the Art Students League of New York and obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts from New Jersey City University. He was still in college when his works were shown with the likes of Norman Lewis and Romare Bearden. He is the owner of the only Black-owned gallery in Montclair, NJ: Death of Caesar Gallery.

HiCoup will be on-site from 4-6pm to discuss his art, process, and influences.