Futura 2000

Futura
Born	Leonard Hilton McGurr[1] (1955-11-17) November 17, 1955[2] New York, New York
Nationality	American
Known for	Graffiti

Futura formerly known as "Futura 2000"^[3] is an American graffiti artist. He started to paint illegally on New York City's subway in the early seventies, working with other artists such as ALI. In the early eighties he showed with Patti Astor at the Fun Gallery, along with Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Richard Hambleton and Kenny Scharf. Futura painted backdrops live on-stage for British punk rock band The Clash's 1981 European tour.^[4] In 1985, he was on the first meeting of the graffiti and urban art movement in Bondy (France), on the VLP's initiative, with Speedy Graphito, Miss Tic, SP 38, Epsylon Point, Blek le rat, Jef Aérosol, Nuklé-Art, Banlieue-Banlieue… More recently, he is a successful graphic designer and gallery artist. One of the most distinctive features of Futura's work is his abstract approach to graffiti art. While the primary focus, during the 1980s, of the majority of graffiti artists was lettering, Futura pioneered abstract street art, which has since become more popular. Conversely, his aerosol strokes are regarded as different from those of his peers, as they are as thin as the fine lines achieved only through the use of an airbrush.

While he is primarily known as a graffiti artist, much of his work is as an illustrator and graphic designer of record sleeves, first becoming involved with The Clash; producing a sleeve for their "This Is Radio Clash" 7" single and handwriting the sleeve notes and lyrics sheet for their album Combat Rock. He also toured extensively with The Clash during the Combat Rock tours, "performing" with them on stage by spray painting backdrops whilst the band performed.

Years later James Lavelle resurrected his career by getting him, alongside Ben Drury, to produce the artwork for several releases on Mo' Wax records; this also led to Futura producing the imagery which has largely defined Lavelle's Unkle project.

During the 1990s he was involved with clothing companies such as GFS, Subware and Project Dragon. More recently much of Futura's artwork has evolved into the production of highly collectible toys, Sneakers; and a diverse range of creative media, working with Recon, Nike, The North Face, Medicom Toy, Undercover, Supreme, Levi's and A Bathing Ape.

Futura also designs his own clothing under the label Futura Laboratories with a store located in Fukuoka, Japan.

His most recent exhibition Future-Shock was presented by Andy Valmorbida and curated by Nemo Librizzi at 560 Washington Street in New York City. Past galleries who have organized one man exhibitions include Fun Gallery, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, Philippe Briet Gallery, Galerie du Jour Agnès B., and Galerie Jérôme de Noirmont. Museum exhibitions include "New York / New Wave" at PS1 (1981), "Coming from the Subway" Groninger Museum (1992), "Beautiful Losers" (2004) and "Art in the Streets" MOCA (2011).^[5]

In 2012, Futura designed the special edition Hennessy V.S. bottle.

Futura's new book, published by Rizzoli, came out in 2014.

Exhibitions and Publications

Solo shows:

2014 - Solo Show, Magda Danysz Gallery, Paris, France; - Solo show, Schusev State Museum of Architecture, Moscow, Russia; - Solo show, MD Gallery, Shanghai, China;

2012 - Future-Shock, Valmorbida, New York, USA - FUTURA 2012 – Expansions, Galerie Jérôme de Noirmont, Paris, France (catalogue)

2009 - Futura 2000 – Collection Patrick Lerouge, Ecole Spéciale d’Architecture, Paris, France - Futura 2000 - Odysee Two, 95 Gallery, Art forum Berlin, Germany

2008 - Futura 2000 – Strategic Synchronicity, Phantom Galleries, Pacific Electric Lofts, Los Angeles, USA

2005 - Futura Year In Pictures, V1 Gallery

2003 - U.N.K.L.E, ICA Gallery, London, UK

2002 - The Futura 2000 Place, Space 3, Sydney, Australia

2001 - Futura, Colette, Paris, France

2000 - bOb, New York, USA

1999 - Variant, New York, USA

1996 - Futura 2000, Musée des Beaux Arts de Tourcoing, Tourcoing, France - Solaria, Fukuoka, Japan - Futura 2000, Livestock Gallery, New York, USA

1994 - Futura 2000, Gallery Cotthem, Knokke, Belgium - Futura 2000, Time Space Light, New York, USA

1993 - Futura 2000, Martin Lawrence Gallery, New York, USA - Futura 2000, Zero One Gallery, Los Angeles, USA

1992 - Futura 2000, Galerie du Jour Agnès b., Paris, France

1991 - Futura 2000, Galerie du Jour Agnès b., Paris, France

1990 - Futura 2000 – New paintings, Phillipe Briet Gallery, New York, USA - Futura 2000, B5 Gallery, Monaco

1989 - Futura 2000 - Ultimes Obres, Galeria Arcs & Cracs, Barcelone, Spain (catalogue) - Futura 2000 - New Works, Galerie du Jour Agnès b., Paris, France - Futura 2000, Musée de Vire, Vire, France (catalogue)

1988 - Futura 2000, Philippe Briet Gallery, New York, USA (catalogue)

1986 - Futura 2000, Semaphore Gallery, New York, USA

1985 - Futura 2000, Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, USA - Futura 2000, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, USA

1984 - Futura 2000, Fun Gallery, New York, USA - Futura 2000, Michael Kohn Gallery, New York, USA - Futura 2000, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, USA

1983 - Futura 2000, Four Blue Squares, San Francisco, USA - Futura 2000, Fun Gallery West, San Francisco, USA - Futura 2000, Baronian-Lambert, Gent, Belgium - Futura 2000, Yaki Korinbilt, Amsterdam, Netherlands - Futura 2000, 51X Gallery, New York, USA - Futura 2000,Six Gallery - Futura 2000,Fun Gallery, New York, USA - Futura 2000, Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris, France

1982 - Futura 2000, Fun Gallery, New York, USA

1981 - Futura 2000, Soul Artists Alternative Space, New York, USA

Group Shows:

2012 - Deep Space, Joseph Nahmad Contemporary, New York, USA City

2011 - KINGS, SUBLIMINAL PROJECTS, Los Angeles, USA Kindergarten, Galleria Civica, Modena, Italia - GRAFFITI NEW YORK 80´s, Galerie Jérôme de Noirmont, Paris, France - Art in the Streets, The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, USA (catalogue)

2009 - Natural Selection, Atkinson Gallery, Somerset, Royaume-Uni - From Style Writing to Art (A Street Art Anthology), Galerie Magda Danysz, Paris, France (catalogue) - Graffiti – Etat des lieux, Galerie du jour Agnès b.., Paris, France - Ne dans la rue: Graffiti, Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, Paris, France (catalogue) - Futura, Phil Frost, Stash, Cuadro Fine Art Gallery, Dubaï, UAE

2008 - The Elms Lesters Book and Christmas Exhibition, Elms Lesters Paintings Rooms, London, UK (catalogue) - Beautiful Losers – Contemporary Art and Street Culture, Exposition itinérante (catalogue) : La Casa Encendida, Madrid, Spain

2007 - Small, Medium and Large, Elms Lesters Paintings Rooms, London, UK - Futura 2000 and Jose Parla – Pirate Utopias, Elms Lesters Paintings Rooms, London, UK - Beautiful Losers – Contemporary Art and Street Culture, Exposition itinérante (catalogue) : Museum Sztuki, Lodz, Poland - Locked and Loaded, Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, USA 2006 - Ugly Winners, Galerie du Jour Agnès b.., Paris, France - Beautiful Losers – Contemporary Art and Street Culture, Exposition itinérante (catalogue) : La Trienale di Milano, Milan, Italia; Le Tri Postal, Lille, France

2005 - Icygrape No.1924, Elms Lesters Paintings Rooms, London, UK - Beautiful Losers – Contemporary Art and Street Culture, Exposition itinérante (catalogue) : Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, USA; Contemporary Museum, Baltimore, USA; University of South Florida / CAM, Tampa, USA

2004 - East Village USA, New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, USA (catalogue) - Beautiful Losers – Contemporary Art and Street Culture Touring show (catalogue): Contemporary Art Center of Cincinnati, USA; Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, USA

2001 - Renaissance 2001, N.Y.C.U.E.M (New York City Urban Experience Museum), New York, USA - Graffs, Galerie du Jour Agnès b.., Paris, France

1999 - Pittura Dura : Dal Graffitismo alla Street Art, Palazzo Bricherasio Foundation, Torino, Italia (catalogue)

1998 - Reproduced 98. Marok vs Futura, Berlin, GermanyCologne, Hamburg, Munich, Francfurt Germany

1997 - The Tramshed, London, UK

1995 - Summersault Festival, Melbourne, Australia

1994 - Spraycan Art, Sixth Congress Gallery, Tucson, USA - Le Temps d´un Dessin, Galerie de l´Ecole des beaux Arts de Lorient, France

1992 - Group Exhibition, Klarfeld Perry Gallery, New York, USA - Coming from the Subway - New York Graffiti Art, Groninger Museum, Groningen, Netherlands (catalogue)

1991 - Federal Reserve, Washington D.C., USA - Musee du Trocadero, Paris, France - Coleen Greco Gallery, NY, USA - Galerie du Jour Agnès b.., Paris, France - Martin Lawrence Gallery, New York, USA - Liverpool Gallery, Bruxelles, Belgium

1990 - Artists of the year, Philippe Briet Gallery, New York, USA - Galley B5, Monaco - Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, USA - Galerie du Jour Agnès b.., Paris, France

1988 - Museum of American Graffiti, New York, USA

1987 - Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, USA

1986 - Semaphore East, New York, USA

1985 - Flow Ace Gallery, Los Angeles, USA - Kentucky Litho Building, Louisville, USA

1984 - Homage to Picasso, Tony Shafrazy Gallery at Forum International Kunstmesse Zuric, Hall 7, Booth 703, Zurich, Switzerland - Miauhaus, Thread Waxing Space, New York, USA - Summer Exhibition, Fun Gallery, New York, USA - Arte di Frontiera : New York Graffiti, Touring exhibition (catalogue) : Galeria d´Arte Moderna di Bologna, Bologna, Italia; Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Roma, Italia - Urban Confrontation, Ben Shahn Gallery, William Patterson College, USA - Galozzi La Placa, New York, USA - New York Graffiti, Louisiana Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark (catalogue) - Seibu Gallery, Tokyo, Japan - Graffiti, Groninger Museum, Groningen, Netherlands - Robert Fraser Gallery, London, UK - Classical American Graffiti Writers and High Graffiti Artists, Gallery Thomas, Munich, Germany

1983 - Post Graffiti, Sydney Janis Gallery, New York, USA (catalogue) - New New York, Brentwood Gallery, St Louis, USA - Painting, Sculpture, Totems and 3D, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, USA - Champions, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, USA (catalogue) - New Art at the Tate Gallery, Tate Gallery, London, UK (catalogue) - Graffiti, Museum Boymans - van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Netherlands (catalogue) - Fay Fold Gallery, Atlanta, USA - Fun Gallery, New York, USA - 51X Gallery, New York, USA - Greenville Museum, South Carolina, USA - Gallery 121, Antwerpen, Belgium - Monique Knowlton Gallery, New York, USA - American Graffiti Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands

1982 - New York Now, Exposition itinérante (catalogue) : Kestner-Gessellschaft, Hanovre, Germany; Kunstverein Munchen, Munich, Germany; Musée Cantonal des Beaux Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland; Kunstverein fur die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf, Germany - Kenny Scharf and Futura 2000, Tony Shafrazy Gallery, New York, USA - South Bronx Art Show, Fashion Moda, New York, USA - Dondi, Futura 2000, Zephyr, Bank of America, Hong Kong, China - New York / New Wave, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, USA - ESSES Studios, U.C.S.C., Santa Cruz, USA

1981 - Beyond Words : Graffiti Based-Rooted-Inspired Works, Mudd Club, New York, USA - New York/New Wave, P.S.1, Institute for Art and Urban ressources, Long Island City, USA - Events, Fashion Moda, The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, USA (catalogue)

1980 - Graffiti Art Success of America, Fashion Moda, New York, USA - S.A., Soul Artists Alternative Space, New York, USA

Public collections:

- Collection de la Société Générale, New York, USA

- Fonds Municipal d´Art Contemporain de la Ville de Paris, France, Paris, France, France

- Musée de Vire, Vire, France

- Museo de Arte Moderna di Bologna, Bologna, Italia

Publications:

2012 - FUTURA 2012 – EXPANSIONS Texte de Paul Ardenne, Galerie Jérôme de Noirmont, Paris, France - Graffiti, une histoire en images Bernard Fontaine, Editions Eyrolles, Paris, France - Is The Art World Ready for Graffiti? Steven Hager, Steven Hager at Smashwords, Los Gatos, USA

2011 - 100 artistes du Street Art sous la direction de Paul Ardenne, textes de Marie Maertens, Editions de la Martinière, Paris, France

2010 - Beyond the Street: The 100 Leading Figures in Urban Art textes de Patrick Nguyen, Stuart Mackenzie, Edition Die Gestalten Verlag

2009 - From Style Writing to Art (A Street Art Anthology) textes de Magda Danysz, Marie-Noëlle Dana, Galerie Magda Danysz, Paris, France, Editions Drago, Italia - Né dans la rue: Graffiti textes de Hervé Chandes, Edition Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, Paris, France - Blade - King of Kings Henk Pijnenburg, Henk Pijnenburg Edition - Natural Selection textes de Fiona McKinnon, Iain Cadby, Edition Atkinson Gallery, Somerset, UK - Graffiti New York textes de Eric Felisbret, James Prigoff, Luke Felisbret, Edition Abrams - American Graffiti Margo Thompson, Parkstone International Edition - Subway Art: 25th Anniversary Edition textes de Martha Cooper, Henry Chalfant, Edition Chronicle Books

2008 - The Elms Lesters Book and Christmas Exhibition textes de Ben Jones, Paul Jones et alt., Edition Elms Lesters Paintings Rooms, London, UK - Street Art: The Graffiti Revolution textes de Cedar Lewisohn, Editions Tate, London, UK

2007 - The Warhol economy: how fashion, art, and music drive New York City textes de Elizabeth Currid, Princeton University Press

2006 - Plastic culture: how Japanese toys conquered the world textes de Woodrow Phoenix, Kodansha International - Can´t stop won´t stop: une histoire de la génération hip-hop textes de Jeff Chang, Editions Allia

2005 - East Village USA texts by Dan Cameron, Liza Kirwin, Alan W. Moore, The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, USA

2004 - Beautiful Losers – Contemporary Art and Street Culture textes de Alex Baker, Thom Collins, Jeffrey Deitch et alt., Aaron Rose et Christian Strike, New York, USA - DPM - Disruptive Pattern Material textes de Hardy Blechman, Alex Newman, Edition Frances Lincoln - Experimental formats & packaging: creative solutions for inspiring graphic design textes de Roger Fawcett-Tang, Daniel Mason, Rotovision - Disruptive Pattern Material: An Encyclopedia of Camouflage textes de Hardy Blechman, Alex Newman, Editions Firefly Books, U.S.A

2002 - Aerosol Kingdom – Subway Painters of New York City textes de Ivor L. Miller, Edition University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, U.S.A

2001 - The graffiti subculture: youth, masculinity, and identity in London and New York textes de Nancy Macdonald, Palgrave Macmillan

2000 - The new beats: culture, musique et attitudes du hip-hop textes de S. H. Fernando, Editions Kargo - FUTURA textes de Ben Drury, Liz Farrelly, Andrew Holmes, Editions Booth-Clibborn

1999 - Pittura Dura : Dal Graffitismo alla Street Art textes de Luca Massimo Barbero, Renato Barilli et alt., Editions Electa, Milan, Italia

1998 - Generations of youth: youth cultures and history in twentieth-century America textes de Joe Austin, Michael Willard, NYU Press

1997 - New York Graffiti Art: Coming From The Subway: Histoire et Developpement d’un Mouvement Controverse Editions Farthest Star, VBI, 1992, VBI 1997

1992 - Coming from the Subway - New York Graffiti Art Stefan Eins et alt., Karl Muller Verlag Editions

1989 - Futura 2000: Oeuvres Récentes textes de Elisabeth Hess, Musée de Vire, France

1988 - Subway Art textes de Martha Cooper et Henry Chalfant, Editions Holt Paperbacks

1987 - New York Now textes de Carl Haenlein, Editions Kestner-Gesellschaft, Hanovre, Germany - Spraycan Art textes de Henry Chalfant, James Prigoff, Thames & Hudson

1983 - New Art at the Tate Gallery texte de Michael Compton, Edition The Tate Gallery, London, UK

1981 - Events, Artist invite Artists, New York, USA: New Museum text by Betty Fox, Edition The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, USA

Appearances in other media

• On The Clash's Combat Rock, Futura delivers a spoken word part on the song "Overpowered by Funk". The Clash also appeared on his song "The Escapades of Futura."^[6]
• In Emile de Antonio's 1982 film In the King of Prussia Futura creates the film's opening title as a graffiti mural.
• On the album MiLight Futura's voice can be heard giving a shoutout to artist DJ Krush.
• In DJ Mehdi's 2002 music video "Breakaway", Futura covers an entire room with his signature tags in black marker and spray paint.
• In the 2005 film Just For Kicks, about sneaker culture in hip hop, as himself.
• John Mayer's 2006 music video "Waiting on the World to Change", alongside graffiti artists DAZE and the Tats Cru.
• The 2006 video game Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure as himself.
• In a Motorola advert as himself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUgglbG4mKI

References

External links

• www.futura2000.com
• Magda Danysz Gallery - Paris
• Futura 2000 discography at Discogs