Born in the Bronx in 1961, John CRASH Matos is widely know as a pioneer of NY subway graffiti, and one of the first of his kind to transition into fine art. By 1980, Matos had abandoned streets and trains in favor of gallery walls, and gained fast recognition with his first solo show at the famed Sidney Janis Gallery in 1983, and exhibiting alongside Basquiat and Keith Haring. His works are held in countless prominent collections including the Museum of Modern Art NY, Keith Haring Foundation, Stedelijk Museum, Neumann Family Collection, Rubell Family Collection, and the Collection of Dakis Joannou.

For Tin Machines, his current exhibition at Addict Galerie (Paris), Matos’ conjures up early inspirations with canvases that evoke the subway cars of his youth. Presented alongside these new works are enlarged photos documenting his legendary graffiti, offering a time capsule and link to his ephemeral roots. While most others attempts are questionable, here is one of the rare instances of a graffiti writer whose movement into fine art is warranted, and whose accomplishments in both worlds have been rightfully heralded for their historical significance.

CRASH - Tin Machines
Jan 30 – March 3
Extension from March 16 – 23
Addict Galerie
14/16 rue de Thorigny
75003, Paris

Todd James (REAS) opens his first solo exhibition in Paris at Colette, today, Tuesday, Sept. 1. A true talent that has a lot of people fooled – we love this guy. Don’t stop get it get it runs till Oct. 3

All images/media © Todd James

Official information is becoming available about Stages, the traveling art show and sale co-sponsored by Nike to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LIVESTRONG). The group of participating blue-chip  and emerging art stars (see below) is near monumental and will undoubtedly entice an A-list of philanthropic spending. The exhibit opens July 17 at Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris and runs till August 8 before heading over to NY and LA this fall, with a final destination at the Portland Art Museum in early 2010. To coincide with the occasion Armstrong will ride on bikes designed by Damien Hirst, KAWS and Marc Newson during the 2009 Tour de France.

Ed Ruscha – Vital To The Core, 2009. Image: Gagosian Gallery

Stages (Destination 1)
July 17 – August 8
Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin
76 rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris
+33 (0)1 42 16 79 79
Contributing artists: Cai Guo-Qiang Rosson Crow, Jules de Balincourt, Dzine, Shepard Fairey, Andreas Gursky, KAWS, Geoff McFetridge, Yoshitomo Nara, Catherine Opie, Jose Parla, Raymond Petibon, Lari Pittman, Richard Prince, Ed Ruscha, Tom Sachs, Kenny Scharf, Eric White, Christopher Wool, and Aaron Young.

Parisian gallery Magda Danysz celebrates its 10 year anniversary with the launch of 18Gallery, a new exhibition space in Shanghai. To commemorate the occasion both galleries are hosting solo shows by JonOne, one of the earliest NY writers to import graffiti to Paris, when he relocate there at the end of the 1980s. Since then his art has gained widespread popularity and is arguably more well known in France and throughout Europe than back here in the States.  His Shanghai show is already underway and the Paris exhibit launches this Saturday, July 4.

Read on for more images from the 18Gallery opening and a video interview with JonOne.

Video courtesy of Magda Danysz

JonOne
June 25 – July 30
18 Gallery
18 Zhongshan East Rd (E1), Shangahi 200002

July 4 –  July 31
Galerie Magda Danysz
78 rue Armelot, Paris 11

Eric White is currently exhibiting at Magda Danysz in Paris. Some of the works on display break from White’s well-known surrealist and figurative paintings (more here) , and playfully reinterpret iconic album covers, including those of Bad Brains, Black Sabbath, and Fleetwood Mac. Also on display are new works from Daniel Davidson. Exhibit runs till June 30.

In other news, Magna Danysz seems to be avoiding the market slump, and will be opening up a new gallery in Shanghai, China later this month. The opening marks the gallery’s 10 year anniversary and will feature an inaugural exhibit by JonOne, one of several NY native graffiti writers who have latched on to greater success in France than back home.

Dalek and Mike Giant open a joint exhibit in Paris this Saturday, April 25, at Galerie Magna Danysz.

These are exciting times for Emmanuel Perrotin.  Just a few short weeks after reinstating his representation of Damien Hirst, the international gallery owner has announced the launch of Artists’ Dreams, an investment firm that will pool collectors’ funds to finance the production of major works of art. By removing financial barriers to otherwise cost prohibitive projects, the venture will allow emerging artists to compete with art titans such as Hirst and Koons, whose monumental success has risen with the production of large scale installation and museum-worthy works.

The arrangement will upset the traditional gallery – artist relationship, in which profits are typically split evenly.  Works will be sold exclusively via Perrotin’s Miami and Paris galleries, and investors would share in the dealer’s profits, based on initial investment. This is not Perrotin’s first foray into this sort of investor relationship. He pooled collector funds for the production of Piotr Uklanski’s 1996, Untitled (Floor Dance), which went on to be exhibited at the Guggenheim in 2007.

The Art Collectors eagerly awaits to see which artists will be the lucky benefactors of these potentially career-shaping funds. 

Source: Art Observed / The Art Newspaper

After bypassing traditional gallery representation with his Sotheby’s auction, news has surfaced that Damien Hirst will reignite his relationship with Parisian gallery, Emmanuel Perrotin, who in 1991, was one of the first two dealers to exhibit the artist. A solo exhibition is slated for 2010, and neither Hirst nor Perrotin have indicated if this a sign of a larger relationship.

Artist couple, Brendan Monroe and Evah Fan are currently exhibiting at Galerie L.J. Beaubourg, in Paris. The show runs until Nov. 8.

The New York Times have posted a nice slideshow of American art-superstar Jeff Koons’ current installation at the Palace of Versailles. Check it out here.

Image: Ed Alcock for The New York Times