Red Grooms is an artist for whom the term “multi-media” seems to have been coined. Painter, sculptor, printmaker, filmmaker, and theatrical showman, Grooms has brought his unique vision to life in nearly every medium.

Born Charles Rogers Grooms in 1937 in Nashville, Tennessee, Red (nicknamed in 1959 for his hair color) began his extensive career in the arts at an early age with an exhibition of paintings at a Nashville gallery while he was still in high school. He went on to study at the Art Institute of Chicago, then at Peabody College in his hometown. In 1956, Grooms relocated to New York City to continue his studies at the New School for Social Research. New York has since been his permanent home, as well as a source of inspiration for many of his works.

In the summer of 1957, Grooms attended a Provincetown summer session with Hans Hofmann, whose work he considers to be (continued)