Biography

Matthew Litteken earned his Bachelor of Fine Art degree from Miami University in 1995 with concentrations in both painting and ceramics, and his Master of Fine Art degree from the University of Cincinnati in 2004, with an emphasis in painting.  Between his undergraduate and graduate work, Matthew worked as a ceramist at the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, a historic Arts and Crafts Museum located in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

The thrust of Litteken’s work delves into the notion of societal spending practices and value assessments in relation to art as commodity, byincorporating the iconography and motifs from U.S. currency.  What do we value in art?  This question is particularly apt in light of the popular and easily accessible means to purchase “manufactured” art and décor in such venues as the “big box” merchandise chains.  Litteken seeks to challenge viewers to reconsider their personal perceptions of value assessments in art and to question the role of the “un-manufactured” mark in contemporary painting.  

Litteken’s work has been exhibited in a variety of venues, such as the Philadelphia Art Alliance, Purdue University Galleries, Northern Kentucky University, The Artist’s Museum in Washington, D.C., and The Art Association of Harrisburg, PA. His paintings, prints, and drawings are in private collections across the United States.

Selected exhibitions

The Fabric of Folly, The Art Mission Gallery, Binghamton, NY
New Works, Amy Baber Fine Art, Shreveport, LA
Money, Marymount Manhattan College, New York, NY
Trappings/Parkland Art Gallery/ Parkland College/ Champaign, IL
American Fancy/ Thomas More College/ Crestview Hills, KY
Art of the State-Pennsylvania, Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA