Watch BobMarley.com's video coverage of the show For Immediate Release
RUSSELL SIMMONS AND THE SHOOTING GALLERY
present
LEE JAFFE ON THE ROAD WITH JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT
1983
Exhibit runs March 25 to April 28, 2007.
Hollywood, CA - February 28, 2007 - When multi-faceted multi-media artist Lee Jaffe was introduced to graffiti and neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in Los Angeles 1983, it was a meeting of like minds that immediately led to friendship and artistic collaboration. Shortly after meeting for the first time, the duo embarked on a round-the world-trip, and the "On The Road" series revealed at the Shooting Gallery is culled from hundreds of candid shots Jaffe took on that journey, including photos of Basquiat at work. Renowned curator Fred Hoffman, who introduced the artists to each other, notes, "Lee's astute eye enabled him to capture important aspects of Jean-Michel's working procedure. Thanks to Lee's vision, we now have this incredible documentation of one of our greatest artistic talents, who prematurely left us at the height of his creativity."
Though Basquiat passed away in 1988, major retrospectives of his work have recently been shown at The Brooklyn Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, The Museum of Fine Art, Houston, and at La Triennale in Milan. As Jaffe observes of Basquiat's enduring legacy: "Time has given people a chance to understand him better. People have come to realize what a major artist he is." The collaborative spirit Basquiat and Jaffe forged on their round-the-world trip continued in New York, the artists visiting each other's studios daily, creating an iconic inverted tree sculpture together in upstate New York as well as a mixed-media work. "There were many thematic similarities in our work; a lot of political and social content," explains Jaffe.
The Shooting Gallery, along with Russell Simmons, is proud to present Jaffe's intensely personal photos of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Jaffe first met Simmons in the early '80s, and Simmons lauds Jaffe's prolific output: "For as long as I've known him, Lee's work has taken on compelling and important subjects. In particular, this collection offers an inside look at the life and work of one of our most important American artists." Shooting Gallery owner Bobby Carlton concurs, "When Lee came over and showed me the Basquiat photos I was blown away. I am a big fan of Basquiat's work. When I was young, New York was one of the most dangerous and fun cities and graffiti was everywhere--I mean EVERYWHERE, and some of it was so beautiful and would move you in that certain way only art can move you. There were people like Keith Haring, Zephyr, Futura 2000 and of course the SAMO pieces. Jean-Michel's work would literally stop you in your tracks. You had to pause a moment and read it. Some of it was quite profound--sort of a 'thinking man's graffiti.' I was infatuated. Even today I like the man and the myth almost as much as his work, and was captivated by Jaffe's photographs of him."
In film, art and photography, Jaffe's chosen themes are controversial and visionary, an exploration of the world's urgently changing internal circumstances. His genius lies in his quest to overcome the dogma of any single classification, treating topics in all fields including the exploitation of the black performer in America, the cruelty of the fur industry, the relationship of the Native American to his environment, the ambiguity of America's traitors. Many of his pieces are interactive, crossing the line that divides a performer from his audience, and have been the subject for a number of major museum exhibitions, including solo shows at Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden; The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin; and the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, England. His works are collected by many important museums and private collectors.
Jaffe also played a unique role in the history and early international recognition of Reggae music and culture. Jaffe lived with Bob Marley in Jamaica for three years and was a member of The Wailers playing harmonica. He later produced Peter Tosh's "Legalize It" album and shot the iconographic album cover. Recently, Jaffe authored the critically acclaimed book "One Love: Life With Bob Marley and the Wailers." Additionally, Jaffe produced, along with Chris Blackwell, the forthcoming movie "Brown Punk," directed by Tricky and starring Tricky, Elliot Gould and Cedella Marley.
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Art meets rock 'n' roll at Hollywood's newest gathering spot, The Shooting Gallery. The brainchild of music business veteran Bobby Carlton, The Shooting Gallery features some of music and art's greatest moments, including never-before-seen classics, captured by its best photographers. The Shooting Gallery opened on June 8, 2006.
The Shooting Gallery is located at: 7403 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90046.
Gallery hours are: Tuesday through Sunday 1 to 8 p.m. 323-882-8340. WWW.THESHOOTINGGALLERY.ORG