La Luz de Jesus Continues its 25th Anniversary Celebratory Show

Written by Ronan Scrubswell Monday, 13 February 2012 21:24

Los Angeles, California.- "La Luz de Jesus 25", the milestone anniversary show and largest exhibition in the gallery's history, launches its second half during the first weekend of November. Following hard on the heels of October's spectacular Part One, Part Two features more than 120 artists including Shawn Barber, Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Al Farrow, Chris Mars, Elizabeth McGrath, Jason Mecier, Mark Mothersbaugh, Marion Peck, The Pizz, Mark Ryden, Shag, Peter Shire, Joe Sorren, Mark Todd and Eric White. The exhibition opens of November 4th and will remain on view through November 28th. This exhibition is documented in the beautiful companion book, 'La Luz de Jesus 25: The Little Gallery That Could', featuring images of all the art in the show, a personal anecdote about Billy Shire and the gallery written by each artist, essays by gallery directors and a foreword by Shire.

The book is much more than a simple record of this remarkable exhibition. Together, the images and essays present a history of La Luz de Jesus through the eyes of the artists whose careers are intertwined with Shire and his gallery. Billy Shire set out to change the relationship between the artist and patron, challenging the notion of "exclusivity," and making a commitment to art and artists regardless of immediate commercial viability. Shire also dedicated his efforts to exhibiting artists he felt were not getting the recognition and exposure they deserved and making their work accessible to more people.

La Luz de Jesus gallery became a home to tattoo art, comic book art, pinup art, poster art, folk art, outsider art - any type of art that wasn't safe, mainstream, or played by the rules. With the seeds planted by La Luz de Jesus 25 years ago, things have changed drastically as witnessed by a Robert Williams retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the annual "new contemporary" art fair, Beyond Eden, held at the city run Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and the recent "Art in the Streets" installation at the Museum of Contemporary Art. In 25 years of groundbreaking exhibitions, this is La Luz's first retrospective survey, featuring three generations of the most important artists working today. Never before have all these artists shown together in one exhibition. The book, a companion to the show, chronicles the rich legacy of La Luz de Jesus and the thriving art movements it helped launch.

La Luz de Jesus Gallery was established in 1986 as the brainchild of entrepreneur and art collector Billy Shire, considered largely responsible for fostering a new school of California art and prompting JUXTAPOZ Magazine to dub him "the Peggy Guggenheim of Lowbrow." Showcasing mainly figurative, narrative paintings and unusual sculpture, the exhibitions are post-pop with content ranging from folk to outsider to religious to sexually deviant. The gallery's objective is to bring underground art and counter-culture to the masses. Past shows have been groundbreaking, launching unknown artists who have since become famous, such as Manuel Ocampo, Joe Coleman, and Robert Williams. A new exhibit opens on the first Friday of each month, with an opening reception that DETAILS Magazine calls "the biggest and best party in Los Angeles." Visit the gallery's website at ... http://www.laluzdejesus.com

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