 gallery head's up! Homer & Langley Collyer
posted: November 30, 2009
NEW PRINT RELEASE. I'm pleased to announce a new limited edition print release, The Collyer Brothers. The original piece first appeared in Blab! in 2001.
Like many New Yorkers, I grew up fascinated by the legend of Homer and Langley Collyer, the reclusive hoarders who were tragically crushed under their 136-ton accumulation of booby-trapped "collectibles" in the 1940s. As a child, my mother warned me that I might end up like one of the Collyer Brothers if I didn't clean up my room. (Did I listen? Read on.....). Over the years I grew more obsessed with their story, and in 2001 I spent several months researching, writing and painting this piece, a diptych on an antique blanket chest cover. The original painting is not for sale, but due to many requests (and happily coinciding with the publication E.L. Doctorow's new book, Homer & Langley), I have decided to produce a limited edition print, which I'm pleased to offer at a special introductory price for the holidays. This large limited edition archival pigment ink print is printed on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308 gsm 100% cotton rag paper, signed and numbered on front by the artist in pencil. It is available in two sizes. Edition Size: 50 Paper Size: 24" x 18" Image Size: 22" x 11" Price: $350.* plus $15. U.S. shipping/handling (shipped in a sturdy tube) - * special offer through Dec. 31, 2009 (There will also be an extra-large size available for $600. - please email us for details.) Please visit my online gallery to place an order. Other prints as well as original paintings are available on my Illogator site for holiday gift giving starting at $45. p.s. As far as my mother's warnings.....nine years ago I opened my own "Shrine to Clutter," a seven-room packed-to-the-rafters vintage junk and oddities shop in Phoenicia, NY, named, naturally, for my inspiration: Homer & Langley's Mystery Spot Antiques. 
This is the piece in its entirety. 
A detail view. 
Another detail view.             2 comments |
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'Who Shot Rock' Opening
posted: November 2, 2009
Whenever you get a bunch of photographers in a room together, eventually they're going to start shooting each other. It's just our way. We may have elbowed each other in the photo pit now and then in the past in order to get the best shot of whoever was performing onstage, but there's a great love and history and camraderie among us. Probably not too different from soldiers who served in the trenches together. If you think about it, there aren't too many of us.
So it was a great thrill to attend the opening of Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present, the exhibition curated by photo historian Gail Buckland at the Brooklyn Museum the other night. Not just to see our work on the walls, and to hear Blondie perform in the Great Hall, but to have a chance to see each other again. As well as - for me, at least - to meet some of the legendary names I'd heard of for years but had never met. Probably the biggest kick for me personally was to meet Al Wertheimer, the man who took what is in my opinion the best rock & roll photo ever. You know the one....Elvis Tongue Kissing the Girl on the Stairwell. Al told me that he'd had mere seconds to grab that shot of Presley and his fan in the dark fire stairs behind the stage. That image is so raw, and so perfect on so many levels. I just love it. One of my favorite moments was catching Al Wertheimer and Daniel Kramer taking photos of each other. (Kramer took those iconic photos of Bob Dylan when he was at his most beautiful, in my opinion). And then, while I was shooting them shooting each other, photographer Danny Clinch started to shoot them as well, so I shot Danny shooting Dan shooting Al. This is what happens when there are no rock stars in the room - we become the portrait subjects for the night. We probably drove the museum guards crazy, as taking photographs inside the exhibition was verboten, but we weren't going to let a few rules stop us. It was great to see my friends and colleagues Lynn Goldsmith, Ebet Roberts, Bob Gruen, Julia Gorton, Stephanie Chernikowski, and to spot Godlis, Roberta Bayley, and Marcia Resnick. I was so happy to meet Bob Seideman (who did THAT Blind Faith album cover), and to see Allen Tannenbaum, who, when he was photo editor of the Soho Weekly News back in the mid-70s, hired me for my very first professional photo assignment when I was sixteen (of a Leslie West/Mountain concert). I'm sure I missed a ton of peple I would've loved to have seen or met. I was honored not only to have my work included in this exibition, but to be hanging in the same exhibit as Richard Avedon and Diane Arbus. (Arbus's work is what inspired me to become a photographer, when I was fourteen). The reception was great fun - hot dogs, popcorn, pretzels, beer and wine. Blondie (Debbie Harry in a jet black flapper pin curl wig) were amazing. The Great Hall was packed. Thousands of people standing among art and antiquities as Blondie rocked the house. My friend Chris Stein of Blondie had two of my favorite pieces in the show, crazy fumetti he did with John Holstrom for PUNK magazine. The show runs through January 31, 2010 and then goes to four other museum after Brooklyn. I know I'll be going back for another visit, as there was so much to take in. (By the way, in conjunction with their inclusion in the show, I'm offering archival pigment ink prints of my Bjork and R.E.M. images at a special celebratory price through the holidays - click here for more info.) 
My eight year-old cousin Anna was THE rockstar of the evening. When the invitation says "rock & roll attire encouraged," she does NOT mess around! 
My dear friend Lisa Cortes checks out some of my work. The curator of the show tried to include as many vintage prints as possible, so she chose this 8 x 10 personal print that was hanging on my wall - one that Bjork had signed to me - as opposed to a larger "gallery" print. 
Legendary Presley photographer Al Wertheimer gives my photo of R.E.M. at Walter's Bar-B-Que his seal of approval! 
Al Wertheimer shot by Daniel Kramer shot by Danny Clinch shot by Laura Levine. 
I was so happy to see my good friend Lynn Goldsmith, and we celebrated the fact that our pages in the book are across from each other. 
Lynn has this crazy-ass Camera-Extendo-Arm on her camera so was able to shoot self-portraits of us.
This photo doesn't even start to depict how packed it was. 
This comes closer. Somewhere up there onstage is Blondie. 
Me and my friend Bob Gruen in front of a partial contact sheet of his famous John Lennon portrait. One of the most interesting things about the exhibit was the behind-the-scenes stories of the photographs. For example, Bob shot four rolls of Lennon that day but two rolls were lost. The famous image of Bob Dylan and Suze Rotolo walking down Thompson Street by Don Hunstein? The original slide has long disappeared. 
Proof that my work is on the same wall as Richard Avedon's! (My Bjork is far left, his Beatles are far right). 
Dear old dad! 
Me outside the Brooklyn Museum. Brooklyn Museum show - Who Shot Rock & Roll
posted: October 14, 2009
R.E.M., Walter's Bar-B-Que, Athens, GA, 1984 © Laura Levine 
Bjork, Woodstock, NY, 1991 © Laura Levine The exhibition and companion book include two of my favorite portraits, of Bjork and R.E.M. To mark this event, I am making signed fine art prints of both these images available through a special offer. (Please see below for details). Although there will be a preview reception on Oct. 29th, unfortunately it is open to museum members only. Blondie is performing. My suggestion, if you'd like to attend the private members' preview and are not already a member, is to sign up for museum membership ($55.). I believe a member can bring a guest (but you may wish to confirm with them). You can find the preview and membership information here.
SPECIAL PRINT OFFER
In honor of their inclusion in the Brooklyn Museum exhibition, I'm making editions of two of my favorite photographs - Bjork, Woodstock, NY, 1991 and R.E.M., Walter's Bar-B-Que, Athens, GA, 1984 - available as signed archival digital pigment ink prints. Up until recently I've only made silver gelatin (darkroom) prints of my photographs directly from the negative, but I've been collaborating with a wonderful digital printer whose work is exceptional and quite honestly you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between one of these luscious prints and a traditional silver print. Between now and the end of the holiday season I am pleased to offer these prints at a special discount to my friends and collectors, available in two sizes: 8 x 10 inches, $150. (+ 10. US shipping) - or - 11 x 14 inches, $250. (+ 15 US shipping) Each fine art print in these open editions is made with archival pigment inks on Harman gloss paper and will be individually hand-signed and titled by Laura Levine. This offer is only for a limited time. After December 31, the prints will be available at their regular prices, $250 and $350. To place an order or read the stories behind these images, please click here or go to http://www.illogator.com/lauralevine For those of you interested in traditional silver gelatin prints in limited editions, they are also available: 11 x 14/$950 (edition of 75) and 16 x 20/$1200 (edition of 50) - also signed, dated - and numbered. Please contact me directly at laura@lauralevine.com if you have any questions about silver prints, pigment prints, other available images, payment methods or overseas orders. Please allow a couple of weeks for delivery. To see more photographs, please click here.
Featured photographers in the Brooklyn Museum exhibition include:
Amy Arbus, Richard Avedon, Ray Avery, David Bailey, Roberta Bayley, Peter Beste, Adrian Boot, Justin Borucki, Patti Boyd, Ed Caraeff, Stephanie Chernikowski, Danny Clinch, Anton Corbijn, David Corio, Kevin Cummins, Henry Diltz, Alain Dister, George DuBose, Andy Earl, Barry Feinstein, Danny Fields, Nat Finkelstein, Glen E. Friedman, Jill Furmanovsky, David Gahr, Godlis, Lynn Goldsmith, Harry Goodwin, Julia Gorton, Jean-Paul Goude, Bob Gruen, Andreas Gursky, Ross Halfin, Hipgnosis, Dennis Hopper, Don Hunstein, Marvin Israel, Art Kane, Richard Kern, Daniel Kramer, David LaChapelle, Elliott Landy, Michael Lavine, Lisa Law, Annie Leibowitz, Jean-Pierre Leloir, , Laura Levine, Ari Marcopoulos, Maripol, Jim Marshall, Elaine Mayes, Linda McCartney, Ryan McGinley, Dennis Morris, Shawn Mortensen, Terry O’Neill, Jean-Marie Perier, Charles Peterson, Ricky Powell, Michael Putland, William “Popsie” Randolph, Marcia Resnick, Ebet Roberts, Mick Rock, Ethan Russell, Jerry Schatzberg, Hannes Schmid, Stephane Sednaoui, Bob Seidemann, Mark Seliger, Stephen Shames, Lloyd Shearer, Kate Simon, Hedi Slimane, Pennie Smith, Gloria Stavers, Chris Stein, Ray Stevenson, Mayayoshi Sukita, Allan Tannenbaum, Edmund Teske, Storm Thorgerson, Ian Tilton, Philip Townsend, Albert Watson, Guy Webster, Barrie Wentzell, Alfred Wertheimer, Kevin Westenberg, Robert Whitaker, Timothy White, Ernest C. Withers, and Baron Wolman. Featured subjects include: The B-52s, The Beatles, Chuck Berry, Bjork, Blondie, David Bowie, Bow Wow Wow, James Brown, Johnny Cash, Nick Cave, Exene Cervenka, Eric Clapton, The Clash, Kurt Cobain, Elvis Costello, The Cramps, The Dead Boys, P. Diddy, The Doors, Bob Dylan, Marianne Faithful, Aretha Franklin, Alan Freed, Fugazi, Jerry Garcia, Bill Haley, Debbie Harry, Richard Hell, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Holly, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Jay-Z, Brian Jones, Grace Jones, Janis Joplin, Joy Division, KISS, Gladys Knight, Led Zep, John Lennon, Little Richard, LL Cool J, Madonna, The Mamas and the Papas, Marilyn Manson, Bob Marley, Paul McCartney, Freddy Mercury, Metallica, Method Man, Morrissey, Jim Morrison, New York Dolls, Notorious B.I.G., Oasis, Wilson Pickett, Pink Floyd, The Police, Iggy Pop, Elvis Presley, The Pretenders, Prince, The Prodigy, Radiohead, The Ramones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M., Keith Richards, The Ronettes, Rolling Stones, Henry Rollins, Axl Rose, Run-DMC, Salt n Pepa, Sex Pistols, Tupac Shakur, Sid & Nancy, Patti Smith, Sonic Youth, The Specials, Buffalo Springfield, Bruce Springsteen, Sly Stone, Joe Strummer, Talking Heads, Pete Townsend, Ike & Tina Turner, U2, Velvet Underground, Bunny Wailer, The White Stripes, The Who, Amy Winehouse, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, and Frank Zappa. The Brooklyn Museum Location: 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York 11238-6052 Telephone: (718) 638-5000 Admission: Suggested Contribution: $10; Students with Valid ID: $6; Adults 62 and over: $6; Members: Free; Children under 12: Free Hours: Wednesday–Friday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday: 11 a.m.–6 p.m. interview about R.E.M./Who Shot Rock & Roll
posted: September 4, 2009
Here's a snappy little interview I just did in advance of the Brooklyn Museum exhibition/Knopf book curated and edited by Gail Buckland, entitled "Who Shot Rock and Roll: A Photographic History 1955 to the Present." The Brooklyn show opens October 30, and I'll be posting more about it as it nears, but meantime here's a little behind-the-scenes interview I did with Sara Rosen about one of my photographs in the exhibition/book.
Laura Levine is a visual artist who has pursued a variety of projects in independent filmmaking, photography, television animation, fine art and illustration. Her work has recently been included in the Backstage Pass: Rock and Roll Photography exhibition at the Portland Museum of Art, and is in the permanent collection of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Her work has appeared in magazines such as Rolling Stone, The New York Rocker and Sounds UK. Levine’s paintings and photographs have been exhibited worldwide at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, The House of Blues, and the Galleria Comunale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome, the Museum of American Illustration and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Levine discusses her work, R.E.M., Walter’s Bar-B-Que, Athens, Georgia, 1984, selected for publication in Who Shot Rock & Roll by Gail Buckland (Knopf, October 2009, $40). How did you first get into photography and what attracted you to rock and roll as a subject? Laura Levine: Seeing a Diane Arbus exhibit at MOMA when I was fourteen pretty much changed my life. I left the museum thinking, “I want to do that.” I was initially drawn to documentary photography and photojournalism, and in fact that’s what I thought I’d end up doing. Although I was born in Brooklyn, I grew up in New York’s Chinatown/Lower East Side, where I started out doing mostly street photography in the 70s. In college I was the photo editor of the Harvard Crimson and when I was twenty I did a summer photography internship at the Washington Post. After graduation I interned at the Village Voice. I’d always loved rock and roll, of course, and slowly but surely I began to focus more on music, shooting bands onstage and backstage at clubs. I eventually ended up as the chief photographer and photo editor of the New York Rocker in the early 80s and by then had decided to focus exclusively on music portraiture. In the book, Gail Buckland mentions that you were friends with R.E.M. How did you come to connect with them? I met R.E.M. when I was assigned to shoot them in 1982. We’d already known of each other through mutual friends in the indie music world. They came over to my apartment in Chinatown and it was simply one of those magical sessions that happen now and then where we instantly hit it off. After the shoot we went out for dinner to a Chinese restaurant and the rest, as they say, is history. I ended up not only becoming good friends with them and going on the road with them countless times, but made a film with them and my other musician friends in Athens called Just Like a Movie. What were your experiences like touring with them R.E.M. in the early days? Touring with R.E.M. was an adventure. When they first started out playing clubs they traveled in a van. Everyone crammed into the van together and the guys and their manager would take turns driving. We stayed in seedy motels—sometimes four to a room—and I had a blast. But I’m glad I didn’t have to do it for more than a week at a time—I would have gone mad! But for short excursions here and there it was great fun. Once the band started playing larger venues, they moved up to a tour bus and driver, which was much more elegant. I was backstage with them the first time they appeared on the David Letterman show, onstage with them the first time they played a big arena (as an opening act), at record-signings, their homes, etc. They included me in everything, with total access, and of course I had my camera with me at all times. Michael Stipe and I also did a lot of photo sessions on our own, experimenting with lighting, photography and portraiture and collaborating in the truest sense of the word. How would you describe the music scene back then? What was it like to be a photographer at this time? I’m so thankful that I was shooting bands at that time. For one, this was before digital photography, so everything I shot has been preserved on film. Secondly, I was able to do my work before the music industry changed to the point where style seemed to take precedence over substance…before the rise of the celebrity culture. As time went on, labels and management began to tightly control access to their artists and insisted on photo approval. As hair, makeup and styling played a bigger role, music photography became more akin to fashion photography. That’s when I started to get out. Lastly, the music was incredible. This is not to say that there still aren’t amazing images and music being made today, but it was less self-conscious back then. In the days before the Internet and digital photography, when content was seemingly limited to those with access, the creation of images played a massive role in the music. How does your work contribute to this archive? I’d like to think that people appreciate my photographs not only as intimate glimpses into the lives and personalities of the musicians they admire, but also as works of fine art which stand up on their own as portraits no matter who the subject was. As a photographer, my goal was to somehow make a personal connection with my subject, and share what I saw with the viewer. I tried to bring my feelings about my subjects —admiration, love, humor, respect —to my photos, so people could see what I saw in them. Portland Museum of Art exhibit opens Jan. 22
posted: January 19, 2009
Joan Jett, NYC, 1981 © Laura Levine About 20 of my images from the collection will be included in the exhibit, which also features work by Lee Friedlander, William Claxton, Jim Marshall, Mick Rock, Kate Simon, Lynn Goldsmith, Bob Gruen, Janette Beckman, Daniel Kramer, Barry Feinstein, Art Kane, Elliot Landy, Terry O'Neill, Alfred Wertheimer, David Gahr, and Gerard Malanga, among others. I also contributed an essay to the exhibition catalogue, which is being published by Yale University Press and includes essays by Glenn O'Brien, Greil Marcus, Thomas Denenberg and Anne Tucker. The museum has some great talks lined up in conjunction with the exhibit - author Greil Marcus (Jan. 26) and the legendary Bob Ludwig (Feb. 6). 
Here's another shot of Joan and my cat. Both were very good sports. Red-Winged Blackbird and Wood Thrush prints released today
posted: December 16, 2008
Prints are $20, $50, and $200, and are produced with archival pigment ink on 100% cotton rag paper. Enter the code free2xship50 at checkout when you purchase two of their $50. prints for free shipping. (See their website for more info). You can find Wood Thrush here. You can find Red-Winged Blackbird here. You can find more bird prints at my online Illogator gallery. And....a new pigment ink print of one of my favorite photographs, a portrait I took of Bjork in the forest in Woodstock in 1991 (which is being offered at a crazy-low holiday-only price) can be found here. Thanks for looking, and happy holidays! - laura http://www.lauralevine.com 
Bjork print release for the holidays
posted: December 2, 2008
Bjork, Woodstock, NY 1991 I'm releasing a very affordable edition of one of my favorite photographs - Bjork, Woodstock, NY, 1991 - as a signed archival digital pigment ink print. Up until now I've only made silver gelatin (darkroom) prints of my photographs directly from the negative, but I've been collaborating with a wonderful digital printer whose work is exceptional and quite honestly you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between one of these luscious prints and a traditional silver print.
Between now and the end of the year we are pleased to offer this print at a special introductory price to our friends and collectors, available in two sizes: 8 x 10 inches, $75. (+ 5. US shipping) - or - 11 x 14 inches, $145. (+10 US shipping) Each fine art print in this open edition is made with archival pigment inks on Harman gloss paper and will be individually hand-signed and titled by the photographer. You can order it on Illogator. This offer is only for a limited time. After December 31, the print will be available at its regular price, which will be $250 and $350. Please contact me directly if you have any questions about silver prints, pigment prints, other available images, payment methods (we also accept checks) or overseas orders. Please allow a couple of weeks for delivery. To place an order or read the story behind this image, please click here: http://www.illogator.com/l East Village/LES Show at Varga Gallery in Woodstock, NY
posted: September 11, 2008
Madonna, NYC, 1982 Several of my early 80s photographic portraits will be included in show. This brings back fond memories the East Village gallery scene, where I made the rounds showing at the Fun Gallery, Pompeii, Danceteria, Helio Gallery, Bridgewater Gallery, Kraine Club and P.S. 122, among others. EV/LES – A Retrospective Saturday, September 13, 2008 – reception 6 – 9pm through Sunday, October 5, 2008 Participating artists include: Rick Prol, Mark Kostabi, Scot Borofsky, Tuli Kupferberg, Laura Levine, David Sandlin, Rodney Alan Greenblat, Stefan Eins, Christy Rupp, FA-Q, Shalom, Arnold Mesches, Judy Glantzman, Art Guerra, Brian Gormley, Richard Hambelton , Jon Singer, Maggie Ens, Shalom Gorewitz, Anne Jepsen, Jim C., Paul McMahon, Kenichi Hiratsuka, Vee, Bronson Eden, Walter Robinson and many many others. This Saturday, September 13th VARGA Gallery hosts an exhibit celebrating classic East Village and Lower East Side artists with an opening reception and party from 6 – 9pm. The festivities will feature live outdoor performances by Phoebe Legere, Studio Stu, Phil Void, Paul McMahon, and others. VARGA Gallery 130 Tinker Street Woodstock, New York http://www.VARGAgallery.com 
Joey Ramone in his kitchen, NYC, 1982 
Tina Weymouth and Grandmaster Flash, NYC, 1981 (Shown Actual Size) - BLAB! Show
posted: September 3, 2008
Heaven Sent Brandy, 16" x 16", acrylic on birch panel, 2008 As Marc already mentioned, the exhibiting artists are Gary Baseman, Mark Burckhardt, Luke Chen, Ron English, Ryan Heska, Tom Huck, Andy Kehoe, Travis Lampe, Laura Levine, Travis Louie, CJ Pyle, Kevin Scalzo, SHAG, Spain, Fred Stonehouse, Gary Taxali and Mark Todd. I won't be attending the opening, but if you're in the L.A. area, stop on by. Saturday, September 6th, 8-11:30pm Copro-Nason Gallery Bergamot Station, Bldg. # T-5 2525 Michigan Ave. Santa Monica, CA http://www.blabshow.com http://www.copronason.com 
Boo-Boo, 16" x 16", acrylic on birch panel, 2008 
Tiny Pinocchio, 16" x 16", acrylic on birch panel, 2008 BLAB! retrospective at the Beach Museum of Art
posted: August 1, 2008
The exhibition, organized by the Beach Museum of Art, will be on view through November 2, 2008. It is the first American museum exhibition devoted to the work of BLAB!, Monte Beauchamp’s periodic anthology of sequential and comic art, illustration, painting, and printmaking. The exhibition, which focuses on BLAB! #8-18 (1995-2007), features the work of forty-six artists and includes 150 objects from thirty-nine collections. All of the work in the exhibition has appeared in BLAB!. Artists in the exhibition: Michael Bartalos, Gary Baseman, Richard Beards, Tim Biskup, Stéphane Blanquet, Calef Brown, Greg Clarke, The Clayton Brothers, Sue Coe, Don Colley, Brian Cronin, Nicolas Debon, Douglas Fraser, Charles Paul Freund, Drew Friedman, Geoffrey Grahn, Steven Guarnaccia, Ryan Heshka, Peter Hoey, Tom Huck, Teresa James, Jeffrey Kamberos, Nora Krug, Peter Kuper, Mark Landman, Laura Levine, MATS!? [Mats Stromberg], Walter Minus, Christian Northeast, John Pound, Archer Prewitt, Chris Pyle, Helge Reumann, Xavier Robel, Jonathon Rosen, Marc Rosenthal, Sergio Ruzzier, David Sandlin, Spain, Bob Staake, Fred Stonehouse, Mark Todd, Chris Ware, and Esther Pearl Watson.http://www.boingboing.net/2008/07/31/blab-retrospective-a.html 
20x200 releases Meadow Lark print
posted: July 29, 2008
They release prints in varying editions, sizes and prices, the largest of which is an edition of 200 small prints for the bargain price of $20. each. (Cheep!) Editions get smaller and prices higher from there. The prints are produced with archival pigment ink on 100% cotton rag paper. You can find Meadow Lark here: http://www.20x200.com/art/2008/07/meadow-lark.html You can find more bird prints at my Illogator gallery: http://www.illogator.com/lauralevine/ And don't forget, several of my original bird paintings can be seen in the Ornithology show at Jen Bekman Gallery (6 Spring St., NYC) now through Aug. 2nd. Thanks! ORNITHOLOGY exhibit at Jen Bekman Gallery, NYC opens Wed. 6/25
posted: June 23, 2008
Birds of the Rockies, acrylic and vintage trading stamps on birch panel, 30" x 30" Ornithology - summer group exhibition at Jen Bekman Gallery opens Wednesday June 25th, 6 - 8 PM Artists in the exhibition: Echo Eggebrecht | Todd Forsgren | Laura Levine | Carrie Marill | Christina Muraczewski | Victoria Neel | Lamar Peterson | Jason Polan | Amy Ross | Alec Soth | Amy Stein | Keith Taylor | Bert Teunissen | Luke Stephenson Jen Bekman Gallery 6 Spring Street (between Elizabeth + Bowery) New York, New York 212.219.0166 http://www.jenbekman.com on view June 25 – August 2, 2008 Wednesday – Saturday | Noon – 6pm Class of NO WAVE reunion
posted: June 14, 2008
The crowd mills outside the gallery. I can't think of the last time I had so much fun at an opening. It ended being one big ol' class reunion, spilling out into the street and late into the night. People bought copies of the book and everyone signed them for everyone else like a high school yearbook. It was simply joyful. Hard to imagine the words "joyful" and "no wave" in the same sentence, but there ya go. Here are a bunch of photos from the evening. I strongly suggest catching the show while you can (it's up through July 10 at KS Art, 73 Leonard St., and you can see my previous post for info on purchasing the book). 
Me, my friend Julia Gorton (who probably shot more than anyone else of that time, and whose photographs are fantastic), and Thurston Moore. 
James Chance signs a book for photographer Stephanie Chernikowski, another one of the photographers represented in the show and book. 
Glenn Branca re-enacts the portrait I took of him on his Bowery rooftop some 25 years ago. 
Michael Zilkha, the co-founder of ZE Records, who released records by Lydia Lunch, James Chance, Suicide, Mars, Was (Not Was), John Cale, etc., and the lovelier-than-ever Lydia Lunch. 
Me and my old pal Jim Sclavunos. 
Jim Sclavunos signs Julia Gorton's book. 
The New York Rocker art department reunites! Art Director Elizabeth Van Itallie and photo editor Laura Levine. 
My lovely god-daughter Sarah and he boyfriend Daniel flank dear ol' god-mom. 
Me and my old college buddy, the incredibly talented film composer Carter Burwell. 
Some of the show. 
My parents (on the left) and some of their friends strolled over from Chinatown to take in the sights. 
Marty Rev, me and Michael Zilkha. 
Jesse Malin reminded me that I did a photo session with his band Heart Attack on Ave. C when back he was a teenage punk circa 1981. 
My good friends Lee Ranaldo and Leah Singer who I miss to dickens. 
One for the memory chest. NO WAVE exhibition - opening reception Fri 13th
posted: June 6, 2008
DNA on my corner, NYC, 1981 Here are a couple of my photographs from the gallery show and book, as well as one of DNA which isn't in the book but you can see in the show. the official press release: NO WAVE POST-PUNK UNDERGROUND NEW YORK 1976-80 organized by Thurston Moore and Byron Coley June 13 - July 2, 2008 book party / opening reception Friday, June 13, 6 - 8pm KS ART - 73 Leonard Street - NYC KS ART will present NO WAVE 1976-1980 an exhibition of photographs, paintings, sculptures and ephemera from that era. This show is organized in conjunction with the publication of NO WAVE. POST-PUNK. UNDERGROUND. NEW YORK 1976-1980. by THURSTON MOORE and BYRON COLEY for Abrams Books. Included in the exhibition are art works by James Nares, Nancy Arlen, Pat Place, Christine Hahn, Barbara Ess, Sumner Crane and photographs from the book by Julia Gorton, Robert Sietsma, Marcia Resnick, Stephanie Chernikowski, Godlis, Laura Levine, Lisa Genet, Bobby Grossman, and Hilary Jaeger. This is the first book to visually chronicle the collision of art and punk in the New York underground of 1976 to 1980. This in-depth look at punk rock, new wave, experimental music, and the avant-garde art movement of the 70s and 80s focuses on the true architects No Wave from James Chance to Lydia Lunch to Glenn Branca, as well as the luminaries that intersected the scene, such as David Byrne, Debbie Harry, Brian Eno, Iggy Pop, and Richard Hell. This rarely documented scene was the creative stomping ground of young artists and filmmakers from Jean-Michel Basquiat to Jim Jarmusch, as well as the musical genesis for the post-punk explosions of Sonic Youth. It is here revealed for a new generation of fans and collectors. Thurston Moore and Byron Coley have selected 150 unforgettable images, most of which have never been published previously, and compiled hundreds of hours of personal interviews to create an oral history of the movement, providing a never-before-seen exploration and celebration of No Wave. On Friday June 13th coinciding with this opening reception/ book party will be one-night-only reunion performances by Teenage Jesus and the Jerks (featuring Lydia Lunch, Jim Sclavunos and a surprise guest bass player) and the band Information at the Knitting Factory, 74 Leonard Street across the street from the gallery. 
Glenn Branca on his Bowery rooftop, NYC, 1981 
Alan Vega (Suicide) in his downtown loft, NYC, 1981 
Jody Harris and Robert Quine in my apartment with my goose lamp, NYC, 1981. Ida/Michael Hurley @ Woodstock show Sat. 5/24
posted: May 18, 2008
Songbirds of the Catskills, acrylic & vintage trading stamps on birch panel, 36" x 36", 2008 Musicians Michael Hurley and Ida will be performing at the opening reception for my exhibit at the VARGA Gallery in Woodstock this Memorial Day weekend. Come on by if you're in the area.
Tweet Suite: Birds of North America Paintings by Laura Levine Opening Reception Saturday, May 24 from 6 - 9pm * * with musical performance by Ida and special guest Michael Hurley* * On exhibit Thursday, May 22 – Wednesday, June 4, 2008 VARGA Gallery, 130 Tinker Street, Woodstock, NY (845) 679-4005 A limited edition archival print, Songbirds of the Catskills, will be released in conjunction with the exhibit, with a percentage of print sales donated to the Catskills wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organization Ravensbeard. http://www.VARGAgallery.com http://www.lauralevine.com http://www.illogator.com/lauralevine/ http://www.idamusic.com http://www.snockonews.net/ http://ravensbeard.org/ What, Me Worry?
posted: October 15, 2007
UFOs Land in St. Louis!
posted: October 11, 2007
The text for this series of paintings is from the 1958 Edition of The Flying Saucer Review's World Roundup of UFO Sightings and Events. The artists in the exhibition include: Gary Baseman Greg Clarke Drew Friedman Fred Stonehouse Travis Louie Tom Huck Ryan Heshka Esther Pearl Watson Teresa James Chris Pyle Walter Minus Laura Levine Richard Beard Travis Lampe Kevin Scalzo 
Here are a few more from the series..... 
Birds of the Rockies print
posted: October 11, 2007
They made a print of one of my large bird paintings (Birds of the Rockies) and the edition of 200 sold out within a few hours of being posted online. There are still some medium and large prints left. There are some other really nice pieces on the site as well, worth taking a look. You can find it here. Honky-Tonk Heroes & Hillbilly Angels
posted: February 15, 2007
a peek at my B-52's picture book (long out of print)
posted: January 15, 2007
I uploaded my Blab stories too
posted: January 14, 2007
playing dress-up with Bjork!
posted: January 14, 2007
With the help of some wonderful stylists and hair and make-up people, she and her Sugarcubes bandmate Siggi were transformed into some of my favorite fairy tale, nursery rhyme and fictional characters. I then posed them in front of a white backdrop, photographed them, made color xeroxes of the shots I liked, and then painted the backgrounds directly onto the color xeroxes. Seems so primitive now! Check out my gallery for the rest. Tweet Suite!
posted: January 13, 2007
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