Gary T. Erbe- Cubist Influence and Levitational Realism

As I walked through Gary Erbe: Magical World at the Butler Institute of American Art, it was immediately evident that his major influence is Pablo Picasso, emulating many of the modern master’s compositions in several paintings included in the exhibition. Yet nowhere in Gary T. Erbe’s biography or in prior exhibition reviews do the artist or scholars acknowledge Picasso, despite the clear resemblance between, for example, Erbe’s painting Jazz (2017) and Picasso’s Three Musicians (1921), now in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Each feature a flat, cutout-style trio of musicians holding similar instruments executed in a Cubist style. In both compositions, the musicians appear in primary colors at the central focal point, set against a strikingly contrasting background of somber dark tones.

Similarly, Erbe’s still life construction paintings such as Natural Instinct, 2021 and The Green Table, 2020 emulate Picasso’s nature morte paintings, counterposing unrelated objects assembled on a table. Natural Instinct is comprised of a red Cubist style with various objects tossed about such as a pair of binoculars, a bird’s nest, sunflowers, and a frog. Erbe has stated that by freeing objects from their natural surroundings with the illusion of levitation and through the juxtaposition of objects that in reality had no relationship, he could create thought-provoking paintings. This is reminiscent of French poet Lautréamont’s Surrealist ideal of “the chance encounter of a sewing machine and an umbrella on an operating table.”

Gary T. Erbe (Union City, NJ, b. 1944) is a self-taught trompe l’oeil painter who sought to depart from the traditional 19^th century trompe l’oeil masters, such as William Michael Harnett and M.C. Escher, and use the technique in a more contemporary manner. From this practice, Erbe coined the term “Levitational Realism,” in 1970 to describe his conventional style and soon after committed to pursuing art full time, actively exhibiting his work. “I believe I have found ways of circumventing the so-called rules in trompe l’oeil in favor of originality, inventiveness and creativity”, stated Erbe, who added, “Integrating modern principles into my work is very challenging and exciting.”

It is clear from the Butler Institute of American Art’s juxtaposition of works throughout the Gary Erbe: Magical World exhibition that the primary emphasis is on Erbe’s American flag and Americana themed paintings. These pieces are the only works accompanied by detailed label texts and are installed in the most prominent areas of the exhibition. The pinnacle piece seemingly is the large 6 x 9.5-foot painting Composition in Red, White, and Blue, 1975 which documents the evolution of the American flag in collage form. This monumental canvas was the artist’s contribution to the 1976 Bicentennial. Look closely, and you’ll discover 37 presidential portraits among the collage elements. However, Erbe identified one of his most poignant compositions as The Erosion of Time and Hope (2022), dedicated to his uncle, Francis J. Ring, a World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient. The painting depicts a banner with two stars displayed in the window of an old home, flanked by framed photographs. This imagery recalls the tradition of families hanging such banners in their windows during wartime, with the stars signifying the number of loved ones serving in the military.

My personal favorite of the Americana paintings in the exhibition is Annie Oakley, Little Sure Shot, 2021, an homage to the legendary American sharpshooter and star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show, who once lived in Nutley, New Jersey, where Gary T. Erbe currently resides. The painting shows a display of Oakley paraphernalia including posters, guns, awards, and a home movie projector against an American flag. While these paintings appear to be collage, they are flat, with forms exaggerated and enhanced by shadow, light, and color which results in pure three-dimensional illusion. Over the last 56 years, Erbe created only 15 American Flag paintings, at least half of which are in this exhibition. According to the artist, each stands apart in concept and scale.

Dr. Louis Zona, Emeritus Director at The Butler Institute of American Art, stated that, “Gary Erbe is an American master of contemporary trompe l’oeil painters. This exhibition of 50 pieces on display at the Butler, one can see the range of Erbe’s talent. The Butler is indeed proud.”

Erbe was honored with a 25-year traveling retrospective in 1995 and a 40-year traveling retrospective in 2010. In 2017, the Butler Institute of American Art published a scholarly 300-page hardcover volume on the artist’s life and work titled Footprints: The Art and Life of Gary Erbe, produced in conjunction with a 50-year retrospective exhibition that traveled to five museums. Today, Erbe maintains his studio in Nutley, NJ, where he continues to paint actively.

While others may have overlooked the resemblance between Erbe’s standout paintings and the well-known works of Pablo Picasso, the connection now seems difficult to ignore. Nothing can get past us art historians.

Gary Erbe: Magical World
January 25, 2026 – March 29, 2026
The Butler Institute of American Art
524 Wick Avenue
Youngstown, Ohio 44502
butlerart.com