Anthony Haden-Guest: Lucky Stiffs

By OCEANA ANDRIES April 1st, 2026

At the intersection of death and humor lies Anthony Haden-Guest’s “tomb drawings,” featured in Lucky Stiffs, the artist’s third solo project with Freight+Volume, a gallery located in Tribeca. Haden-Guest is an artist with a long and notable career within cultural movements. He’s known not only for his artwork but also for his skills as an art critic, filmmaker, and socialite. The wit and playfulness he possesses, which have allowed him to become a centerpiece of culture and its circles in New York and London, exudes from his work. 

Lucky Stiffs. Installation view.

In this series of pieces, Haden-Guest uses ink on paper to turn viewers into participants of a seance, with words from beyond the grave illustrated in his iconic comic style. One-liners are written on headstones; these epitaphs range from somber and thoughtful to clever little jokes. The face of the deceased often accompanies the punchline, and their expression emphasizes the meaning of their last words.

Some of my favorites are:

 “I have to lose 20lbs, I said over and over, now I have” 

“So it was over my dead body”

“I will be forgotten, so will you”

“It looks like I got out just in time” 

Anthony Haden-Guest, I Have to lose 20lbs I said over and over now I have, 2025. Ink and marker on paper. 7 x 8 in

The works comment on issues that range from common concerns to global crises. In the work “I have to lose 20lbs, I said over and over, now I have,” a man is shown with a smug expression, pleased that his worries are being solved through his own decomposition. While within, “It looks like I got out just in time,” a gravestone is laid on top of a scene of utter destruction. As explosives erupt in the background, the face of the deceased is stuck in a state of shocked horror. Rather than the heaviness one would anticipate on such topics, the works use existential humor to investigate and dissect all the issues surrounding humanity’s experience, both individual and collective. The artist strikes the perfect balance between light-heartedness, allowing visitors to have a laugh at mortality, and a somber tone, so as not to dismiss the importance of these commonplace worries. We can all find our fears in at least a few of the headstones in the show. 

Anthony Haden-Guest, ??????? I will be forgotten so will you, 2025. Ink and marker on paper. 7 x 8 in

Haden-Guest uses humor to question viewers about their daily troubles, leaving us to wonder: Why are we taking things so seriously? By placing them in this context, the artist brings an ease to life’s problems. The worries you have may be brought to the grave, or fixed by it; it’s on a case-by-case basis. 

This show will be on view from March 14 to April 18, 2026.