Internationally recognized Pop Artist and Pittsburgh native, Burton Morris, was at RR Donnelley in Pittsburgh in April to sign 250 of this year’s PVGP Limited Edition Lithographs. This incredible poster image is the brand of the PVGP in 2022, honoring Porsche as the Marque and celebrating our 40th year. As of November 1, there are only 50 remaining.
Limited Edition 2022 Lithograph
This 24″ x 36″ piece of art can be purchased through the PVGP Merchandise Site here for just $150 plus shipping. Each of them is hand signed by Burton Morris and numbered. All proceeds benefit the PVGP charities.
The poster depicts a Porsche 911 in the famous Brumos red, white and blue racing livery with the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning in the background.
For five decades, Brumos Porsche of Jacksonville, FL. has been winning major races and championships – usually bearing No. 59. In 1973 Brumos team manager Bob Snodgrass suggested painting the team’s new Porsche 911 Carrera RS white with red and blue stripes to signify that Brumos was America’s leading Porsche dealer. It is an iconic paint scheme known all over the world. The Porsche race cars from Brumos netted 15 titles and 48 race victories in the IMSA series. The squad proved formidable at its Daytona home race with triumphs in 1973 and 1975 as well as in 1978 and 2009.
The University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning is a popular landmark that can be seen from the Car Show in Schenley Park and by vintage racers if they dare look to the left as they zoom past Phipps Conservatory.
BUY 2022 LITHO FOR $150 PLUS SHIPPING NOW
Buy Both Burton’s 2009 and 2022 Lithos and Save $50
Burton also created the PVGP’s poster and lithograph back in 2009 when BMW was the Marque. That 2009 Lithograph is for sale HERE. Buy both the 2009 and the 2022 lithographs at the same time for $225 and save $50 and cut the shipping charge in half – COMBO DISCOUNT HERE
(left to right) Burton Morris in the press room with his lithograph with RR Donnelley’s Jake Zoller and PVGP designer Dan Holmes. RR Donnelley is the Official Printer of the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix as well as much of Burton’s artwork.
Artist Burton Morris
Burton was born and raised in Pittsburgh. Morris earned his fine arts degree at Carnegie Mellon University in 1986. Incidentally, Burton attended the first PVGP in 1983 when he was a sophomore at CMU, which is adjacent to Schenley Park. He vividly recalls with wonderment attending the first two year’s races and observing from Flagstaff Hill. Burton plans to return in July to watch the races once again.
At the age of three, Burton had an unfortunate accident where he fell off monkey bars and broke his left femur. He was bound in a full body cast for several months, allowing him only to move his arms. His parents gave him crayons and pencils to draw with, and this is when his passion for drawing and painting started. He developed a love for 1960’s cartoons. Television shows like the Marvel comic series Captain America and Spiderman gave him an early love for comic book superheroes. Comic books in the early 1960’s -70s were a huge source of inspiration for him over the years, and are reflected in his artwork today.
Burton Morris is best known for his bold and graphic depictions of American icons. His subject matter includes objects that portray today’s popular culture. His distinctive style is characterized by radiant black outlines and vivid colors that emit energy in all of his artwork. Morris employs some of the shorthand gestures of comic strips and magazines in his artwork that he has loved and emulated since childhood. These classic devices are seen in his simplified forms and action lines indicating movement joined with his rich acrylic colors. He imbues his art with his own impeccable style and optimistic frame of mind.
His distinctive sword-like slashes suggesting shards of energy, come from his study of woodcut prints. Two of his heroes are artists Albrecht Durer and Rockwell Kent. Durer used similar hatching in the sixteenth century. Twentieth-century American artist Rockwell Kent, illustrated books and designed bookplates with such lines.
After graduation, Burton worked as an art director for several Pittsburgh advertising agencies, creating television commercials and print ads. The artist established Burton Morris Studios in 1990. That year he began making his small post-Pop icons more impressive by enlarging them onto canvas. He also tightened his brushwork into his present precise style. He would choose one subject per composition to create what he calls “an instant happening” for the viewer.
In 1994 his paintings began to hang on the hit NBC television sitcom “Friends”, which continued to showcase his artwork for over ten seasons in the colorful Central Perk coffee shop. The success of the show becoming a global pop phenomenon, helped establish Burton’s style and artwork into today’s pop culture. Over the years, Burton has produced signature artworks for some of the biggest events in the world, such as the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, The 76th Annual Academy Awards, The 2006 MLB All-Star Game, The 38th Montreux Jazz Festival, the 2010 FIFA World Cup Soccer, The One Young World Summit Conference and the 2016 USGA U.S.Open.
Original artworks have been commissioned for corporations and institutions such as The United Nations, Coca Cola Corporation, Ford Motors, Sony, H.J. Heinz, Chanel Corporation, Rolex, The U.S. State Department, Samsung, Warner Brothers, Lincoln Center, Shake Shack, Perrier, AT&T, Microsoft, and Kellogg’s.
Morris’ artwork is featured in the collections of The Albright-Knox Museum, The Jimmy Carter Center, The Elysée Museum, The United Nations, The Barack Obama Presidential Center, The World of Coca-Cola Museum and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Collectors of his work include notable icons Brad Pitt, Kanye West, Tommy Hilfiger, Oprah Winfrey, Stan Lee, Roy Disney, Andre Agassi, Emeril Lagasse to name a few. In addition, his artwork has helped to raise millions of dollars for charities worldwide, including the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix!
Visit Burton Morris’ website for more images and information
CONTACTS:
Dan DelBianco (412) 559-3500 delbianco@pvgp.org
Bernie Martin (412) 996-5700 bernardtmartin@pvgp.org
Susan Gera (724) 396-9372 media@pvgp.org
About the PVGP
Begun in 1983, the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Motorsport Festival features two weekends of racing action. The first weekend is the PVGP Historics at Pitt Race. The second weekend is racing on a 2.33-mile road course set on the streets of Schenley Park, a city park adjacent to the Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh campuses. Between the race weekends there are car shows, parties, car shows road rallies, and more. PVGP is a volunteer-run event with 1,200 volunteers. The PVGP is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization with a charity mission and has raised $6 million for individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities. PVGP History