Fans of Lee Moriarty (@theleemoriarty), who wrestles for AEW and is the current ROH Pure Champion, may already know that he is an artist as well as a professional wrestler.
In fact, when SlamWrestling profiled him back in November 2020, Alex Podgorski called him “an athlete and an artist.”
Well, Moriarty’s art is about to be showcased during Miami Art Week, at the upcoming New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) art fair.
Moriarty will be presented at NADA Miami by Orange Crush, the wrestling publication founded by Adam Abdalla in 2020, and will have a solo booth exhibiting eight acrylic paintings on canvas.
“The Pittsburgh-based professional wrestler’s series of works showcase his talents outside of the arena and depict wrestlers who don traditional fight masks in unconventional settings,” Abdalla told SlamWrestling.net via email.
According to the NADA Miami press release, “Orange Crush‘s booth will feature an assortment of paintings by Moriarty that display another side of life as a wrestler. The vivacious portraits capture men in traditional wrestling masks with various backgrounds. Some don suits in front of a floral pattern, or appreciate a barbeque in a private garden. Moriarty depicts the realistic duality of life as a pro-wrestler. Enjoying nature, casual sports, hobbies, and peace are all neglected but important parts of life for full-time fighters like Moriarty.”
A few of Moriarty’s paintings displayed at his booth include “Portrait of the Saint,” “Portrait of the Liger,” and “Portrait of the Demon,” stunning 16 by 20 inch portraits of three iconic masked wrestlers.
“I believe that wrestling is the ultimate balance of art and sport. In my opinion, there’s no other sport in the world that allows you to artistically express yourself and there’s no other art form that requires as much physicality and athleticism,” said Moriarty in his NADA Miami press release.
The five other paintings to be displayed at Moriarty’s booth portray an unnamed masked wrestler partaking in various acts of leisure, including walking a small dog, soaking in an infinity pool, and picking flowers.
This will be Moriarty’s first time presenting as an artist (not including his work as a wrestler), and it will also be Orange Crush‘s premiere booth at NADA Miami. Orange Crush‘s founder, Abdalla, has been a board member of the New Art Dealers Alliance for the past 15 years, and also recently released a book of wrestling photographs by Nick Karp titled VISITORS.
VISITORS is an “exceptionally rare look at the bloody and tender moments of life on the road. Featuring 200 pages of match and behind-the-scenes shots by storied wrestling photographer Nick Karp, the limited-edition hardcover book, handsomely hand-painted in blood red, showcases a group of wrestlers far from home, fulfilling a lifelong dream.”
Fans who want to help celebrate Moriarty’s debut at NADA can now pre-order the artist’s custom NADA Miami x Lee Moriarty tee.
The 22nd Edition of NADA Miami will run from December 3-7, 2024, at the Ice Palace Studios, in Miami, Florida, and if buyers are interested in any of Moriarty’s paintings, Adam Abdalla will discuss them in greater detail or provide context.
RELATED LINKS
- Nov. 2, 2020: ‘The Apex of Combat’ Lee Moriarty: An athlete and an artist
- Dec. 12, 2024: ‘VISITORS’ is a beautiful, bloody, transgressive book of photography
- SlamWrestling’s The Artistic Canvas section
