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Keith Mayerson, “Cheech and Chong” (2023), oil on linen, 48 × 64 inches (photo by Heather Rasmussen, courtesy the artist and Karma gallery)

Keith Mayerson: My American Dream: City of Angels

Since 2000, Keith Mayerson has been developing his painting series My American Dream, which reflects the artist’s optimistic vision of American possibility. City of Angels (2023–24), his latest body of work in this project, focuses on Los Angeles, where he launched his career as an artist in the 1990s, and where he currently resides after several years living in New York. The paintings on view include a selection of autobiographical images connected to the Golden State; depictions of pop cultural figures such as the Muppets, barrier-breaking tennis player Billie Jean King, and stoner icons Cheech & Chong; as well as visionary representations of Western landscapes, UFO sightings, and LA’s urban sprawl.