Anthony Clark

Anthony Clark est né dans le quartier de Manhattan, New York, en 1964. S'adonnant au graffiti dans les rues de New York, dès l'âge de six ans, ses parents, découvrant un talent certain chez leur fils, veulent le placer dans une école spécialisée mais il préfère continuer à se former dans la rue.

En 1982, il participe aux côtés de Crash, Daze 8 et Freedom, à l'exposition South Bronx Show organisée par la galerie Fashion Moda et en 1984, il participe à la Biennale de Venise où il est le plus jeune artiste à être exposé.

De 1982 à 2001, il expose au moins une fois par an. En 1995, lors de la tournée française des Rolling Stones, il a été choisi avec El 1O, Futura 2000, JonOne, JayOne, Mode 2 et Sharp pour interpréter plastiquement la musique de ce groupe pour une exposition itinérante. Sa dernière apparition en France eut lieu à la galerie du Jour, à Paris en octobre 2001, aux côtés de Ash, André, Fafi, Gemeqs, JayOne et Futura 2000.

Il est décédé le 11 novembre 2001 d'une rupture d'anévrisme à Paris où il s'était installé.

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Good Bye My Hit master your work is done only on this mold of a planet! You always Drew a Great Ikonoklast Panzerism letter Tank for me...Fly in your "A" far and Hit to hurt as you always have... Like my #1...We all know you will "ROCK THE GALAXY" now that you've got the chance... So Burn'em! I will be watching - THE RAMM:ELL:ZEE

•••

Today I was very sad to hear about the death of another member of the FUN Gallery Crew. My beloved friends Keith Haring, Jean Michel Basquiat and Dondi White have been joined up in heaven with the incredible artist A-One. A true original in graffiti art, A-One's canvases were always something I was proud to exhibit. His special dreamlike world was perfectly expressed by a lovely spray can technique that was all his own. Add to the fact that like his compadres above he was always quick to keep my thinking and actions correct, and his neverending query, "Where are my duckets?"

I can't believe I will never see A-One walk through my door again. At the time of his death he was living in Paris as a successful artist.

I can only close with a story from back in the day that I heard from another member of the original crew, Kiely Jenkins (Obdewl X): I was looking out the window of my studio (5th floor Lower East Side) when I saw A-One carrying a tremendous boom-box bigger than he was down the street. Deciding to go into a store he set the box down in the middle of the intersection still on full blast, cars speeding by in four directions. (Leaving his hands free for shopping!) After making it up to Kiely's with the beer and lighting up a fattie, Kiely asked him "Why did you just leave your box out in the street?" A-One replied, "I wanted to hear my music, man." Goodbye, A-One - PATTI ASTOR, FUN GALLERY

EXPOSITIONS

2017-2018

Le musée du Graffiti à Paris, L'Aérosol - Maquis-art Hall Of Fame

2010

Galleria Salvatore + Caroline Ala, Milano (solo)

2009

Né dans la rue, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris

2007

"Il Futuro del Futurismo", GAMeC - Galleria d´Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy

2006

"When Aerosol Outlaws Became Insiders: Graffiti Art at the Brooklyn Museum", The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY

2004

Gezeichnet Graffiti , Kunsthalle Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany

2001

"Graffiti", Galerie du jour Agnès B, Paris, France

1992

"Coming from the subway / New York Graffiti Art", Groninger Museum, Groningen, The Netherlands

1991

"American Graffiti : A Survey", Liverpool Gallery, Bruxelles, Belgium

"Post-Graffiti / Fine Art", Federal Reserve Board Building, Washington, D.C.

" Graffiti Art", Musée National des Monuments Français, Paris, France

1990

Galerie Quintessens, Utrecht, The Netherlands (solo)

"Post Graffiti, Figuration Libre", Foundation Verranneman, Kruishoutem, Belgium

1988

"New York Graffiti", Sammlung Ludwig, Aachen; Hans Metternich, Coblence, Germany

1987

"Beyond Words (Science & Symbiotics)", Fashion Moda, Bronx, NY

Ludwig Collection, Fort Belvedere, Florence, Italy

1985

Piccolo Museum, Lecce, Italy (solo)

"Sidney Janis Presents Graffiti", Arco 85, Madrid, Spain

" 3 Graffiti Artists – Aone, Noc & Toxic", Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, NY

" Zeitgenössiche Kunst", Galerie Thomas, Munich, Germany

1984

"Graffiti", Makler Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

"Arte di Frontiera", Galleria comunale d’arte moderna, Bologne, Italy

"Classical American Graffiti Writers and High Graffiti Artist", Galerie Thomas, Munich, Germany

" Graffiti", Maurice Keitelman Gallery, Brussels, Belgium

Robert Fraser Gallery, London, UK

XlI Venice Biennale,Venice, Italy

"Rapid Enamel The Art of Graffiti", The Renaissance Society at The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

1983

"Post-Graffiti", Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, NY

Galeria Salvatore Ala, Milan, Italy (solo)

1982

Hamilton Place, Installation, New York (solo)

Fashion Moda, South Bronx Show, New York

Studio 54 Installation, New York

Camouflaged Panzerism ptl, New York

1981

Fashion Moda, South Bronx Show, New York

Admiré, respecté et considéré comme un artiste capital dans l'art du graffiti, il a énormément contribué au développement de l'« expressionnisme aérosol ». Son travail reflète la recherche d'une symbiose entre la culture américaine et celle de ses origines africaines. Il combat la grande Babylone, prône l'unité, exalte ses racines africaines et retrace la mythologie de la rue, le tout parsemé de résonances musicales dans une atmosphère mystique et spirituelle aux penchants rastafariens. Il a apporté une forme de transculturalisme sans partage, tout comme Jean Michel Basquiat qui fut son ami et son conseiller.