La Luz de Jesus
Encyclopedia
La Luz de Jesus Gallery is a commercial art gallery located in Los Angeles
, California. It is closely associated with the Lowbrow
Art Movement, Kustom Kulture
, and pop surrealism.
, California by entrepreneur and art collector Billy Shire. The original gallery was located in a bright pink building on Melrose Avenue
, upstairs from Shire's retail store Soap Plant/ Wacko. As Melrose Avenue became increasingly gentrified, the gallery was relocated to the Los Feliz / Silverlake
district on Hollywood Boulevard
near Vermont Avenue. The early years of La Luz de Jesus gallery, before its relocation to Hollywood Boulevard, coincide with the Golden Age of Lowbrow. In April 2005, Shire opened a sister gallery, Billy Shire Fine Arts, in Culver City, California.
accessible to the general public. In a 1988 interview with the Los Angeles Times
, Shire sums up the gallery's philosophy by saying, "Art should be by the people and for the people. It should be something that speaks to you, that entertains and challenges and changes your outlook." The gallery presents a new exhibit each month with an opening reception on the first Friday of every month. The gallery shows primarily figurative and narrative painting and unusual sculpture, with a focus on themes and styles including folk art
, outsider art
, religious art, and alternative erotica. The gallery has been the first to introduce to the public many then-unknown artists who have gone on to claim their place in the art world. These artists include Manuel Ocampo
, Joe Coleman
, Shag, and Robert Williams
. Other notable artists that have exhibited at the gallery include Marco Almera
, Alicia DeBrincat
, and Joe Sorren
. In addition to regular solo and two-person shows, the gallery also hosts a variety of group shows, including a much-anticipated annual group exhibition entitled "Everything But the Kitschen Sync" which introduces relatively unknown and emerging artists at the beginning of their careers.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California. It is closely associated with the Lowbrow
Lowbrow (art movement)
Lowbrow, or lowbrow art, describes an underground visual art movement that arose in the Los Angeles, California, area in the late 1970s. Lowbrow is a widespread populist art movement with origins in the underground comix world, punk music, hot-rod street culture, and other subcultures. It is also...
Art Movement, Kustom Kulture
Kustom Kulture
"Kustom Kulture" is an American neologism used to describe the artworks, vehicles, hairstyles, and fashions of those who drove and built custom cars and motorcycles in the United States of America from the 1950s through today....
, and pop surrealism.
History
La Luz de Jesus Gallery was established in 1986 in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California by entrepreneur and art collector Billy Shire. The original gallery was located in a bright pink building on Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue is an internationally renowned shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Los Angeles that starts from Santa Monica Boulevard at the border between Beverly Hills and West Hollywood and ends at Lucille Avenue in Silver Lake...
, upstairs from Shire's retail store Soap Plant/ Wacko. As Melrose Avenue became increasingly gentrified, the gallery was relocated to the Los Feliz / Silverlake
Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California
Silver Lake is a hilly neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California east of Hollywood and northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Silver Lake is inhabited by a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups, but it is best known as an eclectic gathering of hipsters and the creative class.The...
district on Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard
-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
near Vermont Avenue. The early years of La Luz de Jesus gallery, before its relocation to Hollywood Boulevard, coincide with the Golden Age of Lowbrow. In April 2005, Shire opened a sister gallery, Billy Shire Fine Arts, in Culver City, California.
Mission and Influence
La Luz de Jesus Gallery provides both an exhibition space and a support structure to Lowbrow and pop surrealist artists. The gallery's mission is to make underground artists and countercultureCounterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
accessible to the general public. In a 1988 interview with the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Shire sums up the gallery's philosophy by saying, "Art should be by the people and for the people. It should be something that speaks to you, that entertains and challenges and changes your outlook." The gallery presents a new exhibit each month with an opening reception on the first Friday of every month. The gallery shows primarily figurative and narrative painting and unusual sculpture, with a focus on themes and styles including folk art
Folk art
Folk art encompasses art produced from an indigenous culture or by peasants or other laboring tradespeople. In contrast to fine art, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic....
, outsider art
Outsider Art
The term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut , a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane-asylum inmates.While...
, religious art, and alternative erotica. The gallery has been the first to introduce to the public many then-unknown artists who have gone on to claim their place in the art world. These artists include Manuel Ocampo
Manuel Ocampo
Manuel Ocampo is a Filipino artist. His work fuses sacred Baroque religious iconography with secular political narrative. His works draw upon a wide range of art historical references, contain cartoonish elements, and draw inspiration from punk subculture.-Background:Manuel Ocampo was born in the...
, Joe Coleman
Joe Coleman (painter)
Joe Coleman is an American painter, illustrator and performance artist.-Biography:He was born Joseph Coleman, Jr. in Norwalk, Connecticut to a World War II-veteran father and the daughter of a professional prizefighter.-Work:...
, Shag, and Robert Williams
Robert Williams (artist)
Robert Williams is an American painter, cartoonist, and founder of Juxtapoz Art & Culture Magazine.Williams was part of the Zap Collective, along with other underground cartoonists such as Robert Crumb and Gilbert Shelton...
. Other notable artists that have exhibited at the gallery include Marco Almera
Marco Almera
-Life:Marco Almera's artistic career emerged from the Southern California surfing, skateboarding and rock ‘n’ roll subculture of the late '80s. As a Southern California native, the artist was inspired by the do-it-yourself style of this subculture, and began by creating his own graphics and fine art...
, Alicia DeBrincat
Alicia DeBrincat
Alicia DeBrincat is an American artist who lives and works in New York City. Her figurative oil painting is known for its engagement with the human body and its exploration of awkward and potentially destructive social dynamics....
, and Joe Sorren
Joe Sorren
Joe Sorren is an American conceptualist lowbrow artist.Sorren grew up in Arizona and began painting in 1991. Two years later he earned a BFA from Northern Arizona University. His artwork has appeared in various publications, including The New Yorker, Time and Rolling Stone. Warner Bros...
. In addition to regular solo and two-person shows, the gallery also hosts a variety of group shows, including a much-anticipated annual group exhibition entitled "Everything But the Kitschen Sync" which introduces relatively unknown and emerging artists at the beginning of their careers.