Los Angeles street artist Gary John exploded onto the international art scene first during Art Basel Miami in 2013. John’s playfully bold work quickly gained attention and he was named one of 20 standout artists at the 2014 NY Affordable Art Fair. His contemporary artworks continue to be exhibited at major international art fairs in the United States, Asia and Europe, including Los Angeles, New York, London, Singapore and Hong Kong. Celebrities and major art collectors worldwide have acquired his timeless artworks, which have seen a significant increase in value.
John applied brightly colored acrylic paint and graphite onto architectural paper to create this one-of-a-kind original artwork measuring 42 inches high by 30 inches wide. This mixed media artwork is signed and dated by the artist in the lower left corner using the first two letters of his first and last name "GA JO". Convenient local Los Angeles area delivery. Affordable Continental U.S. and worldwide shipping available. A certificate of authenticity issued by the gallery is included.
Gary John has been a street artist since 1985. Originally from Seattle, Washington, he moved to Venice Beach, Los Angeles in 2003 and began selling on the Venice boardwalk. After almost 10 years on the boardwalk and experiencing “a bout with homelessness,” he was discovered and his artistic career took off with great success. He references this success in every artwork he makes. Along the left side of the artwork he paints a series of circles joined together by an arrow pointing up. Each circle represents a stepping stone on the path of success that keeps growing to greater heights. On the right side he depicts a line of houses, expressing the joy he finds in the stability of a home.
His street artworks have a whimsical yet exciting and bold quality, inspired by classic cartoon and comic book characters rendered with acrylic paint in a bold graffiti style, on newspaper, board or other media. His choice of newspapers reflects the diversity of his Los Angeles surroundings, including Korean language newspapers, which have become equally collected as his artworks on English language newspapers.
John cites Pablo Picasso, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat as his artistic inspiration. Other influences are comic books and American pop culture. His original artworks add a new face to the continuous popularity of pop art.
John says about his art: “I grew up in a dysfunctional home. I always got lost in my art as an escape. Art is my passion. There is not enough time in the day to do all the painting I want to do. I’m consumed with it.”
REPRESENTATION
Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, USA
EXHIBITIONS
2023 “Urban Ecologies: Cities Are Built for Art”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA
2022 “Breakthrough Artists of the Affordable Art Scene”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA
2021 AAF New York, NY
2021 Kunstwarenhaus Zurich, Switzerland
2021 Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA
2020 Art Palm Springs, CA
2020 LA Art Show, Los Angeles, CA
2019 Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong
2019 Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA
2019 Affordable Art Fair New York
2019 Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, Palm Springs, CA
2017 Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong
2017 Art Market San Francisco, CA
2017 AAF New York, NY
2017 Affordable Art Fair London, UK
2017 Art Palm Springs, CA
2016 Affordable Art Fair London, UK
2016 Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA
2016 Art Hamptons, NY
2016 Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong
2016 Mark Jason Gallery London, UK
2016 Affordable Art Fair New York, NY
2016 Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, CA
2016 LA Art Show, Los Angeles, CA
2015 Artspace Warehouse, CA
2015 Affordable Art Fair Singapore
2015 Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA
2015 Art Hamptons, NY
2015 Affordable Art Fair London, UK
2015 Love Art Fair Toronto, Canada
2015 Affordable Art Fair New York, NY
2015 Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, CA
2015 LA Art Show, Los Angeles, CA
2014 Red Dot Art Fair, Miami, FL
2014 Kunstwarenhaus Zurich, Switzerland
2014 Lurie Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2014 Houston Fine Art Fair
2014 Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA
2014 Love Art Toronto Fair, Canada
2014 Stand Arte Gallery Madrid
2014 Affordable Art Fair New York, NY
2014 Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, CA
2014 Affordable Art Fair London
2013 SCOPE Miami Beach, FL
2013 Los Angeles Art Fair, CA
2013 Lurie Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2013 Affordable Art Fair New York
2013 Hampton’s Art Fair Bridgehampton, NY
2013 Houston HFAF Art Fair, Houston, TX
2013 Bruce Lurie Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2012 Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, CA
2012 Bruce Lurie Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2012 Affordable Art Fair, New York, CA
2011 SOHO Gallery, Studio City, CA
1988 – 1990 ‘COCA’ Center of Contemporary Arts, Seattle, WA
2003 – 2013 Abott Kinney Art Walk, Los Angeles, CA
2008 – 2013 Downtown Art Walk, Los Angeles, CA
2003 – 2013 Venice Beach Boardwalk, Los Angeles, CA
