This exhibition captures the irreverent imagination of one of Southern California’s most distinctive and enduring visual artists. With a career spanning more than sixty years, Massey has been a singular presence in the Los Angeles art world—an artist whose work blurs the boundaries between fine art, pop culture iconography and nostalgic memory.

In this exhibition, which runs through May 30, the Hilbert showcases a vibrant selection of his oil paintings alongside a small but compelling group of his inventive sculptures, offering museumgoers a deep dive into his witty, collage-like universe.

Massey was born in California in 1938, coincidentally the same year superhero comics like Superman were beginning to capture the public’s imagination. His life and art have grown in tandem with the visual culture of postwar America. Over the course of more than 60 years as a practicing artist, he has carved out a style that is instantly recognizable: works that feel at once playful and profound, whimsical and meticulously constructed. In his dazzling compositions, he assembles fragments of cultural history—from vintage toys and comic book heroes to movie posters, pin-ups, military memorabilia, cars and other iconic imagery—into tableaus that invite both laughter and contemplation.

“Flying A” is part of a series of works by Massey that include aviation signage. “Here I include the actress Zendaya,” he says. “I found a photo of her dancing, and it looked as if she was wishing to go airborne. Maybe I should have titled this work ‘Flying Z’!”

Another photograph that inspired Massey was one of a young Chinese boy standing in a field, from an old National Geographic magazine, which became his painting “Boy.” “He’s obviously so proud, showing off his giant radish,” Massey says. “I could project myself into that moment, and enjoy the experience he was having.”

So these works are not simply nostalgic; they are analytic and inventive. They probe the way everyday objects, images and cultural icons shape our ideas of identity and history.
Massey’s approach has affinities with both surrealist collage and the pop art movement, but he resists easy categorization. Rather than adhere to the detached irony sometimes associated with pop art, his works are affectionate and engaged, even celebratory. He manipulates and redefines familiar imagery, juxtaposing elements associated with high art alongside objects of popular or commercial culture, breathing new life into both. This blend of high and low, serious and playful, has made his oeuvre compelling for collectors and museums alike.

Massey’s long career has included numerous exhibitions throughout California and beyond. Solo exhibitions like 60 Years of Art at bG Gallery in Santa Monica have revisited his expansive body of work. His art has appeared in other prominent venues, including the Petersen Automotive Museum and Skidmore Contemporary Art, among others.

Mark Hilbert, founder of the Hilbert Museum, observes that Massey’s work “appeals to museumgoers because it doesn’t just hang on the wall—it invites you into a conversation. You see pieces of your own cultural experience reflected back at you, and that creates a powerful connection.”