Pop artist Paul Rousso believes there’s nothing quite like the seductive glamor of glossies.

For nearly 40 years, the artist has been creating collages and sculptures inspired by images from famous magazines and newspapers. Now Avant Gallery at Hudson Yards in New York is presenting “Print Ain’t Dead,” a retrospective of Rousso’s work that includes his acclaimed series “New York Times,” “Magazine Collages,” “Big Money,” “Butterfly Wings,” and “Cup of Money.”  

Rousso, who comes from a classical art background, meticulously creates works that bridge collage and sculpture through a multi-step process of painting, printing, sculpting, welding, digital manipulation, and digital printing. The artist, who is currently located in Charlotte, North Carolina, considers his process an exploration of “flat depth,” in which he translates the everyday paper surfaces of the printed world into complex multi-dimensional forms. 

The exhibition, which includes a preview of Avant Gallery’s booth at Art Miami, presents the full scope of the artist’s career, including early, never-before-seen works. Rousso first discovered his unique method while working as an art director at Grey Advertising in New York, designing for clients such as Revlon, Clairol, Condé Nast, and Bloomingdales. Before the days of Photoshop, Rousso created composite advertising images using razor blades, spray adhesive, and clear acetate overlays. He first began experimenting with his method with unused prints, bringing together slightly different images to create a dazzling, if slightly disturbing composites. 

“The newspaper is rumpled and tossed aside,” the gallery said in a statement. “The dollar bill is creased and wrinkled when we carelessly force it into our pocket. The wrapper, gleaming with bright temptation, is crushed when we have finished the contents. This artwork evokes not merely the familiar design of the printed world as we conceive it: this is the printed world as it truly exists after it has journeyed through the realms of human beings.”

See images from “Paul Rousso: Print Ain’t Dead” below.

Installation view, “Print Ain’t Dead,” 2021. Courtesy of Avant Gallery.

Installation view, “Print Ain’t Dead,” 2021. Courtesy of Avant Gallery.

Installation view, “Print Ain’t Dead,” 2021. Courtesy of Avant Gallery.

 “Paul Rousso: Print Ain’t Dead” is on view at Avant Gallery, Hudson Yards, New York, through December 31, 2021.