FUTURA 2000

Futura was born Leonard McGurr in New York in 1955 and began writing on the subway around 1970, in the first wave, initially as Futura 2000. He belongs to the small group of writers who abandoned the letter entirely. Where his contemporaries competed on lettering, Futura began spraying abstraction on the sides of trains — atomised fields, drifting particles, thin arcing lines and deep space — producing what are generally regarded as the first fully abstract subway paintings.

That vocabulary has held for fifty years. The paintings are built from a fine, controlled aerosol mist rather than from outline and fill, with forms that appear to hang in depth rather than sit on a surface. Thin trajectories cross the field like flight paths or particle traces; small mechanical glyphs and figures recur; the palette runs cool and atmospheric. The reference points are aerospace, astronomy and diagram rather than street lettering, and the handling requires a technical control of the spray can that very few writers have matched.

He was included in New York/New Wave at P.S.1 in 1981 and showed at the Fun Gallery and with Tony Shafrazi in the early 1980s. He also painted live on stage with The Clash on their 1981 European tour and designed record sleeves for the band, one of the earliest sustained collaborations between a writer and a musician — a strand of work that has continued through decades of design collaborations while the painting has run alongside it.

After a period away from exhibiting in the 1990s, his work returned to critical attention in the 2000s and to institutional attention in the 2020s. Futura2000: Breaking Out, a full solo survey, opened at UB Art Galleries in Buffalo in 2023 and travelled to The Bronx Museum of the Arts in 2024. He created the site-specific installation Violent Treasure at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris in 2020, and was included in Writing the Future: Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in the same year.

His work is held in the collection of the Museum of the City of New York, which owns the Martin Wong Graffiti Collection in which he is represented. He continues to live and work in New York.

ARTIST CV

Born 1955, New York, NY, USA

Lives and works in New York, NY, USA

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2021 Futuraland, Belowground, Hong Kong, China

2020 Futura 2000, Eric Firestone Gallery, New York, NY, USA

2019 The 5 Element, Urban Spree, Berlin, Germany

2018 André x Futura: Chez nous, Danysz Galerie, Paris, France

2014 Futura, Danysz Gallery, Paris, France

2012 Futura: Future Shock, Valmorbida, New York, NY, USA

2012 Futura 2012: Expansions, Galerie Jérôme de Noirmont, Paris, France

2009 Odyssey Two, 95 Gallery, Berlin, Germany

2008 Strategic Synchronicity, Phantom Galleries, Los Angeles, CA, USA

2005 Futura Year in Pictures, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark

2002 The Futura 2000 Place, Space 3, Sydney, Australia

2001 Futura, Colette, Paris, France

2000 Futura 2000, bOb, New York, NY, USA

1999 Futura 2000, Variant, New York, NY, USA

1996 Futura 2000, Livestock Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1996 Solaria, Fukuoka, Japan

1994 Futura 2000, Cotthem Gallery, Knokke, Belgium

1994 Futura 2000, Time Space Light, New York, NY, USA

1993 Futura 2000, Martin Lawrence Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1993 Futura 2000, Zero One Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA

1992 Futura 2000, Galerie du Jour agnès b., Paris, France

1991 Futura 2000, Galerie du Jour agnès b., Paris, France

1991 Futura 2000, Structures, Montpellier, France

1990 Futura 2000: New Paintings, Philippe Briet Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1990 Futura 2000: New Works, Speerstra Gallery, Monaco

1989 Futura 2000: Últimas obres, Galería Arcs y Cracs, Barcelona, Spain

1989 Futura 2000: Oeuvres récentes, Galerie du Jour agnès b., Paris, France

1988 Futura: New Works, Philippe Briet Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1986 Futura 2000, Semaphore Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1985 Futura 2000, Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA

1985 Futura 2000, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1984 Futura 2000, Fun Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1984 Futura 2000, Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA

1984 Futura 2000, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1984 Futura 2000, Yaki Kornblit Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands

1983 Futura 2000, Baronian-Lambert, Ghent, Belgium

1983 Futura 2000, Four Blue Squares, San Francisco, CA, USA

1983 Futura 2000, Fun Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1983 Futura 2000, Galerie Yvon Lambert, Paris, France

1983 Futura 2000, Six Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1983 Futura 2000, Yaki Kornblit, Amsterdam, Netherlands

1982 Futura 2000, Fnac Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France

1982 Futura 2000, Fun Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1981 Futura 2000, Soul Artists Alternative Space, New York, NY, USA

Selected Group Exhibitions

2022 Concrete to Canvas, West Chelsea Contemporary, Austin, TX, USA

2021 Ghost DNA, Ghost Galerie, Paris, France

2021 Icons Vandals, West Chelsea Contemporary, Austin, TX, USA

2021 Nos Fantômes, Ghost Galerie, Paris, France

2019 Abstract Compass, Danysz Gallery, Hong Kong, China

2015 360 Degrees, Danysz Gallery, Shanghai, China

2015 Sleeping Beauty, Danysz Gallery, Paris, France

2013 Grafology: Mike Namer’s Private Collection, Gallery 151, New York, NY, USA

2013 Les Bains, résidence d’artistes, Danysz Gallery, Paris, France

2012 Deep Space, Joseph Nahmad Contemporary, New York, NY, USA

2012 Graffiti – New York 80’s, Galerie Jérôme de Noirmont, Paris, France

2011 3 KING, Subliminal Projects, Los Angeles, CA, USA

2011 Club 57 and Friends, Dorian Grey Gallery, New York, NY, USA

2010 Graffiti NY – Artists of the Third Rail, David Benrimon Fine Art, New York, NY, USA

2009 From Style Writing to Art: A Street Art Anthology, Galerie Magda Danysz, Paris, France

2009 Graffiti – État des lieux, Galerie du Jour agnès b., Paris, France

2009 Natural Selection, Atkinson Gallery, Somerset, United Kingdom

2009 The New Yorkers, Galerie V1, Copenhagen, Denmark

2008 Locked and Loaded, Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY, USA

2008 The Elms Lesters Book and Christmas Exhibition, Elms Lesters Painting Rooms, London, United Kingdom

2007 Futura 2000 and José Parlá: Pirate Utopias, Elms Lesters Painting Rooms, London, United Kingdom

2007 Small, Medium and Large, Elms Lesters Painting Rooms, London, United Kingdom

2006 There Is a U in Us, Galerie V1, Copenhagen, Denmark

2006 Ugly Winners, Galerie du Jour agnès b., Paris, France

2004 Icy Grape No. 1924, Elms Lesters Painting Rooms, London, United Kingdom

2002 Session the Bowl, Deitch Projects, New York, NY, USA

2001 Graffs, Galerie du Jour agnès b., Paris, France

1997 Contents Under Pressure, The Tramshed, London, United Kingdom

1995 Stripped, Galerie agnès b., Paris, France

1994 Le Temps d’un dessin, Galerie de l’École des Beaux-Arts de Lorient, Lorient, France

1993 Spraycan Art, Sixth Congress Gallery, Tucson, AZ, USA

1992 Klarfeld Perry Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1991 Coleen Greco Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1991 Galerie du Jour agnès b., Paris, France

1991 Liverpool Gallery, Brussels, Belgium

1991 Martin Lawrence Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1990 Artists of the Year, Philippe Briet Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1990 Galerie du Jour agnès b., Paris, France

1990 Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA

1987 Michael Kohn Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA

1986 Semaphore East, New York, NY, USA

1985 Flow Ace Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA

1984 Classical American Graffiti Writers and High Graffiti Artists, Galerie Thomas, Munich, Germany

1984 Homage to Picasso, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland

1984 Miauhaus, Thread Waxing Space, New York, NY, USA

1984 New York Graffiti, Robert Fraser Gallery, London, United Kingdom

1984 Summer Exhibition, Fun Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1984 Seibu Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1984 Artists from New York in Monte-Carlo, Speerstra Gallery, Monte Carlo, Monaco

1983 Champions, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1983 New New York, Brentwood Gallery, St. Louis, MO, USA

1983 Post-Graffiti, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1983 American Graffiti Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands

1983 Galerie Zellermayer, Berlin, Germany

1983 Gallery 121, Antwerp, Belgium

1983 Monique Knowlton Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1982 Kenny Scharf and Futura 2000, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1982 South Bronx Art Show, Fashion Moda, New York, NY, USA

1982 51Xpressionism, Gallery 51X, New York, NY, USA

1982 Dondi, Futura 2000, Zephyr, Bank of America, Hong Kong

1981 Beyond Words: Graffiti Based-Rooted-Inspired Works, Mudd Club, New York, NY, USA

1980 GAS: Graffiti Art Success for America, Fashion Moda, New York, NY, USA

Museum and Institutional Exhibitions

2024 FUTURA 2000: Breaking Out, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York, NY, USA (solo)

2023 Futura, UB Art Galleries, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA (solo)

2021 Hors les murs: oeuvres de Futura dans la collection d’Agnès b., La Fab., Paris, France (solo)

2020 Futura Akari, The Noguchi Museum, New York, NY, USA (solo)

2020 LASCO PROJECT #11 — Futura 2000: Violent Treasures, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France (solo)

2020 Writing the Future: Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA

2019 Futura: Constellation, NTU Centre for Contemporary Art, Singapore (solo)

2018 Art from the Streets, ArtScience Museum, Singapore

2017 Libres Figurations – Années 80, Fonds Hélène & Édouard Leclerc, Landerneau, France

2016 Art from the Streets, CAFA Art Museum, Beijing, China

2016 Glamorous Graffiti, Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn Harbor, New York, NY, USA

2014 Timewarp, Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, Moscow, Russia (solo)

2013 Futura 2000, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, United Kingdom (solo)

2010 Street and Studio: Von Basquiat bis Seripop, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Austria

2009 Né dans la rue – Graffiti, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, France

2011 Art in the Streets, The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, CA, USA

2008 Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art and Street Culture, La Casa Encendida, Madrid, Spain

2007 Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art and Street Culture, Muzeum Sztuki, Łódź, Poland

2007 Graffiti Stories, Abbaye d’Auberive and Musée Paul Valéry, Sète, France

2007 L’Art modeste sous les bombes, Musée International des Arts Modestes, Sète, France

2006 Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art and Street Culture, La Triennale di Milano, Milan, Italy, and Le Tri Postal, Lille, France

2005 Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art and Street Culture, Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach; Contemporary Museum, Baltimore; and University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa, FL, USA

2004 Beautiful Losers: Contemporary Art and Street Culture, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA, USA

2004 East Village USA, New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, NY, USA

1999 Pittura Dura: dal graffitismo alla street art, Fondazione Palazzo Bricherasio, Turin, Italy

1996 Futura 2000, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tourcoing, Tourcoing, France (solo)

1992 New York Graffiti Art: Coming from the Subway, Groninger Museum, Groningen, Netherlands

1991 Musée du Trocadéro, Paris, France

1989 Futura 2000: Oeuvres récentes, Musée de Vire, Vire, France (solo)

1988 Museum of American Graffiti, New York, NY, USA

1984 Arte di Frontiera: New York Graffiti, Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Bologna, Bologna, and Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome, Italy

1984 Graffiti, Groninger Museum, Groningen, Netherlands

1984 New York Graffiti, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark

1984 Rapid Enamel: The Art of Graffiti, The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

1984 Urban Confrontation, Ben Shahn Gallery, William Paterson College, Wayne, NJ, USA

1983 Graffiti, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Netherlands

1983 New Art at the Tate Gallery, Tate Gallery, London, United Kingdom

1982 New York Now, Kestner-Gesellschaft, Hanover; Kunstverein München, Munich; Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne; and Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf

1981 New York / New Wave, P.S.1, Institute for Art and Urban Resources, Long Island City, New York, NY, USA

1981 Events, Fashion Moda at The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, NY, USA

Biennials, Triennials and Art Fairs

2013 Urban Art Biennale, Völklinger Hütte, Völklingen, Germany

2009 Cuadro Fine Art Gallery, Art Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Awards, Honours and Residencies

2021 Futuraland, Residency with AllRightsReserved, Belowground, Hong Kong, China

2020 LASCO PROJECT #11, Residency, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France

Selected Public and Institutional Collections

Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France

Fonds municipal d’art contemporain de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France

Groninger Museum, Groningen, Netherlands

Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Museum of the City of New York, New York, NY, USA

Musée de Vire, Vire, France

New Museum, New York, NY, USA

Selected Publications and Monographs

2012 Futura 2012: Expansions, texts by Paul Ardenne, Galerie Jérôme de Noirmont, Paris

2000 Futura, texts by Ben Drury, Liz Farrelly and Andrew Holmes, Booth-Clibborn Editions, London

1989 Futura 2000: Oeuvres récentes, text by Elisabeth Hess, Musée de Vire, Vire