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August: Works on paper from three of the world's most iconic street artists

These three artists, although very different in style and creative mechanisms, were bolstered by the support of artists with bigger names than them early in their careers. Invader gained attention in Paris for illegally gluing tiles on public walls to depict early video game characters before appearing in Banksy’s documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop. Futura 2000 began his career painting graffiti on New York City subways before creating album covers and concert backdrops for the band the Clash. RETNA blanketed the streets of LA with his own written language before exhibiting in galleries with the support of such celebrities as Usher and Dave Chappelle.

Invader (French) Aladdin Sane (Yellow) - 2014, screen print in colors on archival paper

From the most prominent street artist in Paris.

Estimated value: $18,000-$25,000

DESCRIPTION:
Invader (French) Aladdin Sane (Yellow) - 2014, screen print in colors on archival paper, standard frame with double matting, stamped by publisher, numbered 61/65, and signed by artist

Dimensions - approx. 17.5 inches x 17 inches, framed

PROVENANCE:
Tagliatella Galleries, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner

ABOUT:
Invader is an anonymous street artist based in Paris, best known for his work using tiles to recreate the early characters of pixilated video games and affixing them to the walls of public spaces, which he calls an invasion. He was featured in the 2010 Banksy documentary Exit through the Gift Shop, and has had solo exhibitions in Paris, Osaka, Melbourne, Los Angeles, New York City, London, and Rome. Funny enough, he’s claimed in anonymous interviews that he’s never told his parents what he does for a living, letting them believe he’s a tile installer in the construction industry. Meanwhile, his record at auction is for a piece sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong for $250,000.

*Condition report upon request.

Futura (American, b. 1955) Community - 2019, silkscreen on paper (signed)

From the legendary graffiti artist and icon of today’s street style.

Estimated value: $2500-$4000

DESCRIPTION:
Futura (American, b. 1955) Community - white, 2019, framed silkscreen on paper, from an edition of 100, numbered with stamp and signed by the artist

Dimensions - approx. 21.5 inches x 27.5 inches, framed

PROVENANCE:
From a private Central Texas collection, acquired from West Chelsea Contemporary - Austin, Texas.

ABOUT:
Leonard Hilton McGurr, also known as Futura, was born in 1955 in New York City and began his career painting graffiti on the subway in his teens. In the early 1980s, his art was shown alongside Keith Harding and Basquiat, and he painted backdrops live on stage for the Clash’s 1981 European tour. Since then, he's focused on design and studio art, and has been exhibited at the New Museum in New York as well as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and has created designs for brands such as Hennessy, Supreme, and Nike.

He's best known for pioneering an abstract style of street art, using thin lines of spray paint, and this sensibility can be seen in his work here.

*Condition report upon request.

RETNA (American, b 1979) Triple Dip, Limited Edition Lithograph, signed

From the artist famous for inventing his own written language.

Estimated Value: $10,000-$15,000

DESCRIPTION:
Marquis Lewis, aka RETNA (American, b 1979) Triple Dip, 2012, Lithograph from a limited edition of 10, hand signed

Dimensions - approx. 16.5 inches x 13.8 inches

PROVENANCE:
Maddox Gallery, London (acquired from the artist in 2012)
Acquired from the above in 2021 by the present owner

*A certificate of authenticity from the gallery is included.

ABOUT:
RETNA began as a graffiti artist in Los Angeles in the 1990s, and developed a style around his own alphabet that incorporates elements of Gothic, Arabic, and Hebrew inscriptions, Egyptian and Inca pictographs, Asian calligraphy, and graffiti lettering, all in layered pallets of color. He imparts specific meanings into his pieces through his script, in hopes that viewers from all over the world will find comforting similarities between it and their mother languages, even if they can't understand the exact meanings conveyed.

In the early 2000s, he gained the attention of RnB singer Usher, who commissioned him to create a portrait of Marvin Gaye in his distinctive style, giving him a level of notoriety he’d yet achieved. Since then, he’s worked with brands such as Nike, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel, and created the backdrops at the San Francisco Opera and Washington National Opera for their presentations of Aida. His work is in the collections of comedian Dave Chappell and art dealer and curator Jeffrey Deitch.

The piece here is a signed etching titled “Triple Dip” from a series of 10 created in 2012. It’s one of his smallest and earliest pieces in circulation, and is a great early example of the language he invented, gaining him attention from the renowned names he would later go on to work with, and ultimately leading to the celebrated career he has today.

Because of its pivotal position in the timeline of his career, and its small size compared to his later work, this piece is relatively rare, and I’m very proud to present it to you here.

*Condition report upon request.

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