Ceysson & Bénétière

(born 1975) is an American abstract painter.

Leif Ritchey was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1975. Ritchey is an American contemporary artist whose works combine art, music, and fashion. He is a colorist and often creates his work with an impasto application of white paint for both texture and dimension. He is known for his use of pale, pastel colors, manipulated pours and textures. Ritchey lives and works in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Brooklyn, New York City, New York.

Leif Ritchey draws on a plethora of materials, colours and layering in his work. His paintings are without unnecessary embellishment and enhancement, focusing instead on the inherent qualities of objects and their properties. His musical interest lends a poetic quality to his works: where concepts and notions interact to fall into a kind of interactive play: "Colors are colors and objects are objects, they dance together make music - a jam, I listen to the music and lose myself in it, dance along, live it, colors and forms find alchemy unknown".

Leif Ritchey was born in 1975 in Ann Arbor and now lives and works between his hometown and New York City. His passion for music and fashion can be seen in his work as an integral influential input. His artwork represents the depiction of a journey and can be seen to reflect his own creative progress.

Notable solo exhibitions include Spots at The Journal Gallery in Brooklyn and We Love at the ATM Gallery in New York. In 2014 he also featured in the solo exhibition entitled Sun Tea at LTD Los Angeles in California. Recent group exhibitions include The Journal Gallery at Venus Over Manhatten, in New York, Salad Days at The Journal Gallery in Brooklyn and Material Matters and other Issues at the Canada Gallery in New York. The artist is also a co-founder of Leif and Tooya Clothing Company.

Ritchey's oeuvre is honest and clear in approach, seeing things as they are and presenting them as such. His work leaves no space for embellishment and enhancement but rather focuses on the original qualities of objects and their properties. His musical interest lends a poetic quality to his works: where concepts and notions interact to fall into a kind of interactive play: 'Colors are colors and objects are objects, they dance together make music- a jam, I listen to the music and lose myself in it dance along, live it colors and forms find alchemy unknown'. His works are complex and captivating yet authentic and sincere. Using a plethora of materials, colours and layering he still presents them in their simplest form. Foundation becomes innovation in his colourful and textural masterpieces.

Group shows at Ceysson Gallery
Feed the Meter, Wandhaff
September 23 - December 16, 2017


Solo exhibitions

2015
Leif Ritchey, Luce Gallery, Turin, Italy
Gumbo Shoes, The Journal Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, USA

2014
Sun Tea, Ltd los angeles, Los Angeles, USA

2012
Poster Paintings, Shoot the Lobster, New York, NY, USA

2011
Chameleon Jeans, Martos Gallery, New York, NY, USA

2010
Spots, The Journal Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, USA

Selected group exhibitions

2015
I Know You Got Soul, curated by Amir Shariat, ARNDT Singapore

2014
To The Happy Few, Jeanroch Dard, Paris, France
Life, The Journal Gallery at Venus Over Manhattan, New York, USA

2011
Dirt Don't Hurt, Jolie Laide Gallery, Philadelphia, USA

2010
Material Matters and other Issues, CANADA, New York, USA

Bibliography
"Leif Ritchey, Wall Street International, June 11 2015
"Review: At NADA Art Fair, Collecting for Pleasure, Not Status, The New York Times, Roberta Smith, Mar 14 2015
"Leif Ritchey, Christable, 2014
"A Look at Frieze New York, Dossier, December 2013
"One Dozen Paintings at the JOURNAL GALLERY, RoughCut, James Kalm, May 4, 2011