Article By: Zak Lodhi
Art that tickles the brain and warms the heart
Dickman, a retired neurosurgeon, describes his work as “art that tickles the brain and warms the heart,” a phrase that has become closely associated with his year-long solo exhibition at Paradise Valley Town Hall, where he was named Official Artist in Residence for 2025–2026 through a juried selection process.
And Curtis Dickman’s work certainly tickles the brain. Just seeing it here, it becomes immediately clear how it bends, shifts, and re-forms as the viewer moves, colors snapping into new alignments, faces dissolving into geometry, depth folding in on itself. Familiar faces and people come to new life under these pops of color. It is art that behaves more like an experience than an object. Playful on the surface, precise underneath, and engineered to surprise. Every exhibition of his work just brings together opticokinetic illusions, reverse-perspective sculptures, collages and, mixed-media works, and paintings inspired by pop culture, music, technology, and the mechanics of perception.
It is easy to see why his work often draws comparisons to Warhol. There are the bold palettes, the celebrity icons, the graphic punch. Einstein reappears through fractured color fields. Elton John stretches into vibrating lines. Marilyn Monroe multiplies, then dissolves. His signature techniques, opticokinetic effects, and reverse perspective cause forms to expand and contract as the viewer changes position.
Pieces seem to breathe. Portraits flicker between clarity and abstraction. Space becomes elastic. “Many of his works are constructed to transform depending on the viewer’s visual position, engaging the eyes, emotions, and intellect,” notes Trends Magazine in its 2025 artist profile.
That fascination with perception is not incidental. Before turning fully to art, Dickman built a world-class career in spinal neurosurgery, recognized internationally for his research, surgical innovations, and academic work. His artist statement describes a lifelong obsession with the relationship between emotion, consciousness, and the brain, and a desire to create work that engages the mind as actively as the eye.
Influences range from Salvador Dalí and M.C. Escher to Picasso, Yaacov Agam, and Andy Warhol, but the work never feels derivative. It feels engineered, calibrated to disrupt visual certainty while remaining irresistibly fun. Pop culture remains one of his most consistent reference points. Music icons are some of Dickman’s favorites.
Collectors include figures from both the art and entertainment worlds, including Sir Elton John, Claire Holt, and Jewel, and his work has been acquired for permanent installation at institutions such as the Muhammad Ali Parkinson’s Center at Barrow Neurological Institute.
Philanthropy is woven deeply into his practice. For more than a decade, his artwork has been donated to major charity auctions, raising well over $250,000 for organizations such as Childhelp, which supports children recovering from trauma. Dickman describes his second career as shaped by personal healing and a desire to create work that invites connection rather than intimidation. And we look forward to every new piece that he presents!
curtisdickmanart.com | @curtisdickman
