Nat Reed is an internationally recognized artist known for his unique interpretations of the "Familiar Modern". Reed began showing the current body of work in galleries in 2009 introduced with the show Tikirama. He later opened the solo exhibition "Torodoodle" at MModern Gallery in Palm Springs and exhibits at Harold Golan Gallery in Miami. Reed was chosen to create a large-scale wall mural for the Petersen Automotive Museum's Fantasies in Fiberglass exhibition in 2010. His artwork quickly became a favorite of collectors and fans of mid-mod inspired art and design. He has also shown at Mod Miami, LA Modernism, Palm Springs Modernism, The Hukilau and the Mondo Lounge in Las Vegas. Reed has been a featured artist in the Los Angeles Times, California Modern Magazine, The Desert Outlook, the "Kustom Kulture" magazine, Deadbeat and Palm Springs Life. He was chosen to create a mural at Palm Springs International Airport celebrating Modernism Week.
Reed grew up in Huntington Beach in the 1960s and 70s, absorbing the chaotically changing cultural and physical landscape of Southern California. His maternal grandfather, Eli Headley, was a tiki carver and interior designer of Polynesian lounges across the U.S. and opened the original Island Trade Store at Disneyland. His father was a set designer for RKO studios. Reed continued the family's creative traditions working as an artist while holding blue-collar jobs. "The experience that taught me the most about the narrative aspect of architecture and design in people's lives was delivering mail. Daily, close up familiarization with housing and commercial developments from different eras and the way people both treated them and were effected by them over time was an enlightening anthropology lesson."
Reed opened Madrona Gallery in 1989, carrying such notable Los Angeles artists as Roland Reiss and Madison Webb. Later, taking a studio in the Brewery Arts Complex, Reed developed assemblages that laid the foundation for his current style. His progression towards the visual vernacular of the American post-war landscape was accelerated by taking on the obsessive restoration of a 1959 "modern" tract home in Palm Springs; "it was an immersion that permanently altered my aesthetic and caused me to both realign my formal approach to artwork as well as purp9se(u.Jly.mining my own subconscious for personal interpretations. This has taken me on a journey both forward and backward at the same time." Nat Reed passed.away from ALS in late 2020. He wanted many people to enjoy his mid¬century art so he provided his giclee prints in limited edition series, usually up to 50. He worked diligently up until one week before his passing. In a few cases, he made his art in different sizes. Giclee prints are the highest quality prints available and stand apart with their high quality, longevity and value compared to standard prints. Nat will be missed, but his art will live on.
Nat Reed Passed Away September 17, 2020 of ALS - In Memory (1961 - 2020)
All Art Work is Now Limited Edition
Mymodernmet, Nat Reed interview
Los Angeles Times, Nat Reed "Spots Illustrated"
CV Independent "Retro Reinterpretations"
Outtraveler, "Nat Reed: Tiki Is In His Blood"
Desert Outlook Annual Summer Travel Issue
California Magazine "Art Imitates Life: Artists Inspired by Modern Architecture"
Palm Springs Life Magazine, Drive-Thru Modern Marvels