A notably eccentric Californian artist who passed away in April, Fredric Hobbs did pioneering work in the form of parade floats, ‘driveable art’ and ritualistic statuary, before developing an uncompromising philosophy he named ‘Art Eco’, seemingly based around issues of environmentalism, waste reclamation, and the impossibility of separating art from life.
Between 1969 and 1973, he also wrote and directed four of the strangest commercial feature films ever inflicted upon American audiences – which is where I, and probably most others out there who recognise his name, came in.
Sadly, despite being involved in all manner of wild and wonderful shenanigans over the years, Hobbs seems to have remained a fairly obscure figure in both the art and film worlds. I’ve done my best however to pull together what information I can for this tribute post on my own blog. If any of the above intrigues you, I hope it will prove interesting reading.
Never heard of him before, thanks for the tip-off, Ben. Duly added to list of things to investigate.
ReplyDeleteI just saw THE GODMONSTER OF INDIAN FLATS last night on Netflix and really enjoyed it. Definitely not the mutant-sheep film I was expecting, and that's not a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteMy father was a fan of Fredrick Hobbs and told me some if his history. I was honored to meet Mr. Hobbs in 2009 when, by chance, he came in to my place of business. Dispite his years there was a youthful joy and mischief about him. During his visits he shared his life in artwork stories. I was also gifted with his book "The Spirit of Monterey ". Signed and personalized. I am still inspired to take the extra step outside of the perceived "normal" to really grasp art and a chance to live his mischievous joy.
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