Nat Reed is an internationally recognized artist 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 Peterson Automotive Museum's Fantasies in Fiberglass exhibition in 2010. His artwork quickly became a favorite for 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 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 Airport celebrating Modernism Week. His most current show Post-Fabricated, Re imagining the already" was a highlight of Modernism Week in Palm Springs and gave collectors the opportunity to experience the dramatic arc of visual and conceptual development the artist has rapidly accrued to this work.
Reed grew up in Huntington Beach in the 1960s and 70s, absorbing the chaotically changing cultural and physical landscape of Southern California. His grandfather, Eli Hedley, was a self styled tiki carver and interior designer of Polynesian Pop icons across the U.S., known for decorating such famous nightspots as the AkuAku, KonTiki and Stephen Crane's Luau. His father was a set designer for RKO studios. Reed continued the families 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 peoples 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 purposefully 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 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"
Exuberantly-Colored, Retro-Inspired, The Work Of Artist Nat Reed
The Desert Sun, "Palm Springs Midcentury Modern Influences"
Deadbeat "Kustom Kulture" Interview
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 Preservation Foundation
Palm Springs Life Magazine, Drive-Thru Modern Marvels
Palm Springs Pride, Partners with Palm Springs Artist Nat Reed