John ‘JonOne’ Perello, born in 1963 in New York and today one of the most recognised contemporary artists in France, as well as a key figure in the world of graffiti opened last week his second exhibition this month, this time at Galerie LeFeuvre in Paris.
As the title of the show might suggest, JonOne Masterpieces 1991-2009 is a retrospective exhibition featuring works from a selected period of time. The work exposed has never before been shown together and offers a unique glimpse into his artistic evolution and versatility through the years.
Growing up in Harlem NY, his introduction to street art began at an early age adopting graffiti as a liberating way of expression. In 1987 he moved to Paris and began creating abstract works influenced by movement, colour, and the energy of the city; paintings that looked the way he filled his graffiti letters in NYC’s subways. One of the main reasons for this change is that he wanted to avoid creating work that gave an immediate gratification and understanding. Instead he focused on a conceptual and sensorial approach to painting, giving birth to a style that many have compared to the work of abstract expressionists like Jackson Pollock and French artist Jean Dubuffet.
His paintings can best be described as an explosion of colour, movement and texture created through precise layering strokes that exhale an extraordinary vitality reflecting his vision and understanding of the city.
Read the official press release here.
JonOne Masterpieces 1991-2009 is open to the public at the gallery located on 164, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris and will run until April 23th.
All images courtesy of the gallery.
Author: Fran
Founder and editor of Urbanite. Street Art lover who after the finishing her MA thesis on the Mexican and Norwegian muralist movement in the 1920-50s, developed a fascination for street art and graffiti that eventually led to collaborations with different art blogs, including the creation of this one.
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