OFFICIAL PARTNERS www.maddoxgallery.co.uk
I want my text to feel universal. I want people from different cultures to all find some similarity in it - whether they can read it or not. RETNA
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Margraves Maddox Gallery is proud to present Margraves, a breathtaking body of work by global sensation Marquis Duriel Lewis, better known as Los Angeles-based artist RETNA. RETNA s iconic signature murals have featured in the Los Angeles Olympic bid video, on the front of the Louis Vuitton store in Miami, the opera house in San Francisco, and most notably adorning the front of Justin Bieber s Purpose album cover. Maddox Gallery are delighted to exhibit this highly anticipated show at our flagship Mayfair gallery on Maddox Street. Born in 1979, RETNA was introduced to the Los Angeles mural scene at an early age and has led one of the largest graffiti art collectives in the city since he was in high school. Rather than attend art school, he focused on street art, and soon became a self-taught sensation. Whether in mural format on the front of a landmark building or on a traditional canvas, RETNA s signature hieroglyphic style is effortlessly recognised by collectors all around the world. 3
Eclectic media RETNA s art is always a varied composition, incorporating intricate line work, complex layering and a powerful range of colour. He incorporates elements of fine art, graffiti, visual linguistics and urban poetics to purvey a timeless and unique power. His artwork has explored an eclectic range of media, including graffiti, sculpture and photography. What features in all of them however, is RETNA s unique script which resembles many different languages, but at the same time does not belong to any one culture. RETNA has taken inspiration from cultures around the world, crediting ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics as inspiration for his art, as well as traditional Native American symbols, Arabic script, gothic blackletter and the Hebrew alphabet. The result is something which is to be truly appreciated up close, and represents a kind of unity between different cultures, reflecting the nature of LA as a cultural melting pot. I always studied ancient cultures because I was born of mixed race, but I always felt I was part of the world, RETNA has explained. 4
Strong Arm Stainless Steel 2015 183 x 152 cm Edition 1/1 5
Commercial Success As well as adorning buildings around the world, RETNA s art has been exhibited at prestigious venues including L.A. Art Machine in Los Angeles, CA; Don Gallery in Milan, Italy; Yves Laroche Galerie d Art in Montreal, Canada; Art for All in Malaga, Spain; and of course, Maddox Gallery in Mayfair, London. The artist is also a huge commercial success, working with brands such as Nike, Louis Vuitton and fashion designer Helmut Lang. He has even transformed the tail wing of a private aircraft as part of a sponsorship with VistaJet. In 2015, RETNA was commissioned to design the artwork for Justin Bieber s Purpose album cover and he has since been named as the San Francisco Opera s latest artistic director. RETNA even featured in the official video which pitched LA to host the Olympic Games in 2024. The video showcased the best of LA s unique talent, and RETNA s calligraphy has truly become a signature style not only of the artist, but of the city itself. 6
Sting Operation Ink and acrylic on canvas 2017 229 x 168 cm 7
A Destination To The Legacy of Great Achievements. Who Lives Above The Clouds Aligning The Wings Of Man s Imagination Enamel and acrylic on canvas 2013 244 x 244 cm 8
Sometimes Eye Can t Read What Eye Write Acrylic on canvas 2014 274 x 198 cm 9
Say My Name & So You Can See Me (Diptych) Hand Embellished Lithograph 2016 111 x 91 cm 10
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Buy Some Off Shore Company Off Shore (Triptych) Ink and acrylic on canvas 2016 183 x 183 cm (x3) 12
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Eye Can t Live With You Eye Can t Live Without You Oil, ink and acrylic on canvas 2016 183 x 213 cm 14
When You See Me Walk Into a Room Mark Oil and acrylic on canvas 2017 183 x 183 cm 15
Save Your Story For Someone Who Cares Oil, enamel, acrylic and crystallina on canvas 2016/17 183 x 274 cm 16
Eye Don t Think You Know You Opened Up My Eyes Ink and acrylic on canvas 2016 183 x 274 cm 17
Color Deconstructed 1 Acrylic on canvas 2015 244 x 213 cm 18
Color Deconstructed 2 Acrylic on canvas 2015 244 x 213 cm 19
White Distressed 1 Acrylic on canvas 2015 244 x 244 cm 20
White Distressed 2 Acrylic on canvas 2015 244 x 244 cm 21
Untitled (Diptych) Enamel and acrylic on canvas 2017 22
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Untitled Oil, Ink and acrylic on canvas 2017 213 x 213 cm 24
Untitled Oil, Ink and acrylic on canvas 2017 213 x 213 cm 25
Eye Need To Be Your Love Ink and acrylic on canvas 2017 183 x 183 cm 26
Send Me A Picture Home Oil, ink and acrylic on canvas 2017 183 x 122 cm 27
To Me Life Won t Change Oil and acrylic on canvas 2017 183 x 122 cm 28
Send Me A Letter Oil and acrylic on canvas 2016 183 x 244 cm 29
Service To The Lives Of Mystics Of Times Acrylic on canvas 2015 183 x 274 cm (Personal Collection) 30
A Stamp Of Approval Oil, enamel and acrylic on linen 2014/17 221 x 203 cm 31
What Difference Does It Matter What I Say. You re Gonna Do Whatever The Fuck You Want Anyway. Enamel, acrylic and crystallina on canvas 2013/14 244 x 244 cm 32
Gambling, Numbers and Dope Enamel, acrylic, crystallina and leather on canvas 2014 262 x 244 cm (Personal Collection) 33
Untitled Oil, ink and acrylic on canvas 2016 213 x 213 cm 34
Forgotten Dialects Enamel, acrylic, crystallina and leather on canvas 2014 244 x 213 cm (Personal Collection) 35
Perdon Ink and acrylic on canvas 2014 244 x 183 cm (Personal Collection) 36
Signs Of Bliss II Enamel, acrylic and crystallina on canvas 2017 91 x 71 cm 37
Sevargram Oil, enamel and acrylic on canvas 2017 152 x 152 cm 38
Untitled Acrylic on canvas 2017 183 x 183 cm 39
Marquis Oil and acrylic on canvas 2017 183 x 183 cm 40
Margraves Oil and acrylic on canvas 153 x 153 cm 2017 41
Shit s All Fucked Up Ink and acrylic on canvas 2017 153 x 153 cm 42
Untitled Ink and acrylic on canvas 2017 122 x 122 cm 43
Sit With Me Cause I Fucked Up (Diptych) Ink and acrylic on canvas 2017 153 x 153 cm 44
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Untitled Enamel, acrylic and crystallina on canvas 2017 122 x 122 cm 46
Untitled Enamel, acrylic and crystallina on canvas 2017 122 x 122 cm 47
Cross and Line Ink and wax on paper 2016 76 x 57 cm 48
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Working with Maddox Gallery In the words of James Nicholls - Managing Director and Curator of Maddox Gallery: Maddox Gallery is delighted to host this stunning exhibition by RETNA, who is recognised as one of the most extraordinarily talented artists in the world today. His instantly identifiable work features on numerous buildings and institutions, including the Louis Vuitton store in Miami and the San Francisco Opera company. RETNA has achieved huge success working with international brands such as Nike, Louis Vuitton, Helmut Lang and Vista Jet. He features as the artist in the Los Angeles Olympic bid video and his work is even on Justin Bieber s latest album cover. RETNA has also received critical acclaim for creating the awe-inspiring sets and costumes of the new opera Verdi, for both the San Francisco Opera company and the Washington National Opera. We are proud to represent RETNA in the UK and share his incredible works with the public. The demand for his work is at such an optimum, that they consistently sell before they have even had the chance to be hung on our gallery walls. In our considered opinion, RETNA has emerged as an iconic artist of our time. 51
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Our Galleries Maddox Gallery is at the forefront of the contemporary and modern art world. We have built a reputation for sourcing and exhibiting exclusive, cutting-edge art from internationally acclaimed and emerging artists. We pride ourselves on providing collectors of all levels with an accessible platform offering clients a bespoke service of the highest quality. Our flagship Maddox Street gallery is based in the heart of Mayfair, London. It extends over four floors of a Victorian town-house that have been designed and renovated to showcase the gallery s impressive modern art collection in a fittingly inviting atmosphere. Our second Mayfair gallery is situated amongst an array of boutiques and restaurants in the lively Shepherd Market area. Our newest gallery, located in Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill is also our largest gallery at over 4,000 square feet. This stunning new space will enable us to increase both the volume and diversity of work we exhibit and will help raise our profile in London and internationally. 53
OFFICIAL PARTNERS www.maddoxgallery.co.uk
9 Maddox Street, Mayfair London W1S 2QE Tel: +44 (0)20 7870 7622 info@maddoxgallery.co.uk www.maddoxgallery.co.uk