Todd Gray (artist)

Todd Gray
Born 1954
Los Angeles, California
Nationality American
Alma mater California Institute of the Arts
Known for Photo, performance, sculpture, installation
Website toddgrayart.com

Todd Gray (born 1954) works in photography, performance and sculpture[1] as a contemporary artist who lives and works in Los Angeles and Ghana.

Writing in the catalogue for the exhibition Black is, Black Ain't at the Renaissance Society, Chicago, Amy M. Mooney writes "critics have noted that Gray's work is "fluent in cultural iconography, driven by introspection, and steeped in issues of corporate politics and racial identity" and that his self-portraits thwart a traditional read of the exterior likeness".[2] Gray describes himself as an artist and activist who primarily focuses on issues of race, class, gender, and colonialism.

Early life and education

Gray born was born in 1954 in Los Angeles, California. He got his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Valencia, California in 1979 and his Master of Fine Arts from CalArts in 1989.[3]

Early career

Gray first turned onto photography in high school, when he took a class in it.[4] Beginning in the early 1970s while still in high school, Gray worked as a commercial photographer in the music industry, photographing rock and R&B acts such as the Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and Gladys Knight.[5] Gray shot his first album cover at age 17.[4] He continued to do so throughout the 1970s, allowing him to pay for college and then art school. To date, Gray has shot over 100 album covers.[4]

After graduating with his BFA from CalArts, Gray was asked by Michael Jackson to become his personal photographer, which he did in the period 1979–1983, during the time of Jackson's landmark albums Off the Wall and Thriller.[6]

Exhibitions

Gray has exhibited work at Meliksetain Briggs Gallery, Los Angeles.[7] In his 2017 exhibition at the Museum of the African Diaspora, Gray explored Michael Jackson in terms of "mental colonialism."[8]

Collections

Gray's work is held in the following permanent public collections: the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), San Francisco, CA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles CA, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles, CA, the University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT, the California Community Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, and the University of Parma, Parma, Italy.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Todd Gray." Meliksetian | Briggs, http://www.meliksetianbriggs.com/artists/todd-gray
  2. ↑ English, Darby; et al. (2013). Black is, Black Ain't. Chicago: The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago. ISBN 978-0941548601.
  3. 1 2 Joyce, Julie (2004). Immaculate. Los Angeles: Luckman Fine Arts Complex, California State University. p. 52. ISBN 978-0974039817.
  4. 1 2 3 Brooks, Brandon I. "Todd Gray Makes International Noise with Newly Released Michael Jackson Book." Los Angeles Sentinel: 2. Nov 2009.
  5. ↑ Gray, Todd (2009). Before He Was King. San Francisco: Chronicle Books LLC. p. 13. ISBN 978-0811875066.
  6. ↑ Gray, Todd. "I'm With Michael". Vanity Fair. Condé Naste. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  7. ↑ Mizota, Sharon. "How artist Todd Gray fashioned another loving tribute to his friend, Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  8. ↑ "Michael Jackson Remains Invincible – By jonathan-curiel – SF Weekly". SF Weekly. May 17, 2017. Retrieved 2017-06-15.

External sources

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