“Why are the figures faceless? It’s a universal language free of racial limitations, and a reflection of society’s fear of individuality.”-Mark Kostabi
Mark Kostabi-exclusively represented in the United States by Martin Lawrence Galleries-has long been admired for his spectacular fine art, accomplishments, provocative media persona, living a New York lifestyle to the fullest and telling his own unique story of the fine art scene. The figures that populate his paintings are fife with body language that clearly express basic human instincts. Kostabi’s faceless ones speak a universal language alluding to contemporary political, social and psychological issues, with stylistic roots in the work of Giorgio de Chirico and Fernand Léger.
Kostabi’s new works articulate an artistic sense of the moment that is captured in various iterations of his ‘Everyone’ romantic depictions — simply embracing couples, symmetrically posed hand-to hand pairs, celebratory ‘toasters,’ as well as ‘sexters’ and other couples amusingly obsesses with their modern tech-all rendered with fuss but elevated with beautiful color and stencil elements.
“As an artist, for me the people are the brushes, the people are the paint. I direct my laser pointer to a particular section of an idea projected before the Kostabi team, and offer advice and suggestions, I am a painter at an easel, directing the zeitgeist towards the clarity and timelessness of art."-Mark Kostabi
Kostabi was born in Los Angeles in 1960 to Estonian immigrants and raised in Whittier, California. He went on to study drawing and painting at California State University, Fullerton, then moved to New York in the early 80’s and soon emerged as a leading figure of the East Village art movement. Kostabi has designed album covers-among them (Guns ‘N’ Roses use your Illusion, The Ramones ‘Adios Amigos and a number of numerous products.
His work has been featured in the New York Times, people, Vogue, Playboy, Forbes, New York Magazine, Art Forum and Art in America. Retrospective exhibitions of Kostabi’s paintings have been held at the Mitsukoshi Museum in Tokyo (1982), the Art Museum of Estonia in Tallinn (1998) and the Chiostro del Bramante in Room in 2206. Kostabi’s work is in over 50 permanent museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the National gallery in Washington DC, the Corcoran gallery of Art and others. Kostabi has been profiled on 60 minutes, A Current Affair, the Oprah Winfrey Show, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, CNN and MTV.
Martin Lawrence Galleries (MLG) is extremely proud to exclusively offer Kostabi’s originals and considers the artist as someone who continues to leave an indelible impression on the art world.
MLG offers the works of Mark Kostabi, along with other 20th and 21st century masters including Chagall, Picasso, Warhol, Haring, Dalí at their fine art galleries located in 9 cities from New York to New Orleans, Maui to La Jolla.
Opening Reception and Meet the Artist
Saturday, April 21st, 6-8 pm + RSVP (858) 551-1122 + Lajolla@martinlawrence.com
Martin Lawrence Galleries + 1111 Prospect Street + La Jolla By the Sea
About Martin Lawrence Galleries
Since 1975, Martin Lawrence Galleries (MLG), headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut with nine galleries nationwide including New York, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, New Orleans, San Francisco, Costa Mesa, La Jolla, Maui and online at martinlawrence.com, has assisted and advised collectors in acquiring fine art. (MLG), with its unparalleled collection of treasures, specializes in unique paintings and limited-edition graphics and sculpture by Warhol, Haring, Murakami, Chagall, Picasso and Erté. Over the last 15 years, it has lent nearly 250 artworks by 16 different artists to 32 museums around the world, and proudly publishes works by artists including Kondakova, Hallam, Bertho, Fressinier, Lalonde and Deyber. For more information visit www.martinlawrence.com.
Follow Martin Lawrence Galleries on Twitter (@TwitterMLG), Facebook (@martinlawrencegalleries) and Instagram (@martinlawrencegalleries).
For more Information or an interview and/or gallery tour, contact Katia Graytok: 203.989.2073 kgraytok@martinlawrence.com NOTE: High-resolution images of all artists work represented by Martin Lawrence galleries are available upon request.
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