Houstonian David Lackey, perhaps best known as
one of the long-standing experts on the TV show Antiques Roadshow, has repurposed some of the finds from his own
treasure hunting into new assemblages. Here, Lackey weds an antique frame, a
tintype portrait likely from the 1870s or 1880s, and a butterfly illustration
cut from an old book. Together, these modest elements make for a bizarre hybrid
beast, or perhaps a young lady prepared for the evening’s masked ball. In the
work, Lackey not only combines various materials, he also brings together
threads of the 19th century, Surrealism, and contemporary art.