Retna Explained

RETNA
Birth Name:Marquis Lewis
Birth Place:Los Angeles, California, United States
Birth Date:24 March 1979
Field:calligraphy, graffiti art

RETNA (born Marquis Lewis 1979) is a contemporary artist, primarily recognized for graffiti art. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and started his career in the early 1990s. He developed a distinctive constructed script which is derived from Blackletter, Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Arabic, and Hebrew calligraphy, as well as more traditional types of street-based graffiti. In addition to exhibiting at institutions and galleries in Los Angeles, Miami, London, New York and Hong Kong, Retna has done advertising work for brands such as VistaJet, Louis Vuitton, and Nike. His artwork adorns the cover of Justin Bieber's Purpose album that debuted in 2015. Retna has many high profile patrons, including fast food magnate Sam Nazarian.

Career

His hieroglyphic style artwork has also been seen in the Lower East Side on the Rivington Street Wall near Bowery.[1]

Museum projects

Public projects

In 2016 he was commissioned to paint the side of the 24 story public housing building, Edificio Cuauhtémoc, in the Tlatelolco zone of Mexico City.[3]

Selected solo exhibitions

Controversy

Retna has also repeatedly been in the news for violent acts, which have included: destroying artworks, an accusation of assaulting his ex-girlfriend Brittny Gastineau, and vandalizing a Los Angeles gallery.[8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Street Writer RETNA returns to tag the Bowery. Elie. Perler. Bowery Boogie. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20220525134709/https://boweryboogie.com/2014/03/street-writer-retna-returns-tag-bowery/. 2022-05-25.
  2. Web site: RETNA: Para mi gente. www.moca.org. 2019-11-19.
  3. Web site: RETNA intervino el edificio Cuauhtémoc en Tlatelolco. 2017-02-13. Nice Fucking Graphics!. en-US. 2019-10-27.
  4. https://thelondonmusings.com/home/retna LA Artist RETNA presents first UK solo exhibition in six years at Maddox Gallery, Mayfair
  5. https://hypebeast.com/2017/10/retna-margraves-exhibit-interview LA Artist RETNA Brings his Calligraphic Graffiti to Frieze Art Fair
  6. https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/painting/retna-goes-mano-a-mano-for-pacific-standard-time-with-new-image-art-gallery RETNA goes MANO A MANO
  7. https://wsimag.com/art/31834-retna-mano-a-mano Retna: Mano A Mano
  8. Web site: Retna Had a 'Tantrum' in an LA Gallery. 2015-11-09. artnet News. en-US. 2019-08-06.
  9. Web site: LAPD Is Reportedly Investigating Street Artist RETNA for Vandalizing a Gallery That Declined to Include His Work in Its Show. 2018-11-21. artnet News. en-US. 2019-08-06.
  10. Web site: Brittny Gastineau Pal Says She Wasn't the Aggressor in Fight. 2014-06-13. Us Weekly. en-US. 2019-08-06.
  11. Web site: Kim Kardashian's BFF Brittny Gastineau and Marquis Lewis want to put violent attack behind them. Shenton. Zoe. 2014-06-17. mirror. 2019-08-06.
  12. Web site: LAPD Is Reportedly Investigating Street Artist RETNA for Vandalizing a Gallery That Declined to Include His Work in Its Show. 2018-11-21. artnet News. en-US. 2019-10-11.

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