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Blek, Doze, Dancing, and Botanica

The openings for our October exhibitions N.O.O.N.—New Works by Doze Green and Paris—NY, NY—Paris: New works by Blek le Rat culminated in a really fun and amazing way last Saturday night. There are opening images on each of the exhibition pages (linked above), but here are some more we just had to share…

Doze’s beautiful daughter Satya Green was very proud of her talented daddy.

One of the original Rock Steady Crew members, Doze had a few old B-boy friends in the house.

In fact, at the end of our opening reception, there was an impromptu dance performance by Doze and a few other infamous members of The Rock Steady Crew! Take a look at our video clip of the event in our video section.

Orlando Reyes, Director of 58 Gallery, was so happy he planted a big wet one on Jonathan.

Then there was another dance performance, young & old, nobody could resist the break beats!

But it was almost bedtime for the little ones. So, just one last boogie with Doze before getting tucked in for the night.

Meanwhile, Blek headed out into the streets of Chelsea to work on a few quick paste-ups…

Here’s another one, it’s on the far left…

And then he came running to catch up with the rest of us, for our afterparty at Botanica.

We found the bar decorated with halloween skeletons, and the party was about to get started…

Music was tight, TRUTH & SOUL was spinning especially for Doze, they held us down all night!

Orlando and Doze were feelin the set before they even made it to the bar.

Aiko and Friend sit with Jonathan LeVine.

The romantics of french street art, Supakitch and Koralie, the first couple we’ve ever heard of to get engaged via wheatpaste.

Meanwhile, there was some more dancing going on in the back of Botanica…

Part 2 of what went down in the gallery earlier.

A little battling… all in good fun.

Doze joined in, feelin warmed up and ready to join the action.

And the next thing you know, it was last call, time to close down the bar and find the after-after party. If you haven’t already seen the video we shot of these guys dancing at the gallery, click HERE!

A Conversation with Blek & Doze

Check out this wonderful clip shot by George Koroneos during installation week for our two current exhibitions, N.O.O.N.—New works by Doze Green and Paris—NY, NY—Paris: New works by Blek le Rat. The two artists took a moment to sit down and chat on video about their new shows and reflect on their incredible careers. Enjoy!…

A Conversation with Blek Le Rat & Doze Green from liabungalo on Vimeo.

B-Boy Legends Dance at Jonathan LeVine Gallery!

It’s with great pride that we present you with this video. A very special and historical event occurred at the gallery this weekend after the opening reception for Doze Green’s new solo exhibition, N.O.O.N.

At the end of the night, Doze Green (one of the original members of the Rock Steady Crew) was joined in dance by fellow B-Boy legends Ken Swift, Burn1, Clarkie, Mr. Loose, Wak1, Smooth, and V05 of the VII Gems Rock Division. Check out some of the video footage we were able to capture, right here!…

Feelin Fine J. LeVine’s 40th!

That’s right folks, last week marked "Feelin Fine J. LeVine’s" 40th birthday! Upon arrival at the gallery, Jonathan found his office decorated lavishly and overflowing with balloons.

Lots of balloons…

To celebrate Jonathan turning 40, the staff bought him gifts and a 40 oz bottle of Old E. (Classy)!

Later that evening, Lazarides Gallery had a private preview for their "Outsiders NY" group show, and the gang stopped in to check out the scene. Eric Foss, Jonathan LeVine, Pedro Alonzo, and Adam Wallacavage.

Ian Kuali’i & Doze Green take a break from finishing up new work for his upcoming solo show.

David Choe, dressed to impress, seen here with fellow artist, Adam Wallacavage.

Ron English and Kevin Chapados.

Jonathan LeVine gets interviewed by the BBC, before leaving the event.

~~~~~~~~~

Then later that week, on Saturday the 27th, we celebrated in style at the infamous ASBURY LANES in Asbury, NJ. People from all over New York, New Jersey, and Philly came out to the big bash. It was also Jonathan’s close friend Tony Susco’s birthday, so it was a joint-celebration. Here are some photos of the festivities…

There was a nice selection of bowling balls at Asbury.

And bowling shoes come in all sizes, even 15’s.

Guests of the party enjoyed free use of the lanes for the entire evening, although bowling skills and math skills (old-school manual score keeping) proved to be more of a challenge after a number of drinks.

Eric Foss, relaxing between frames.

Scott Albrecht finds some interesting artwork on the wall.

DJ Appetite begins his set, and gets the dance party started.

Shannon Nelson, a childhood friend of Jonathan’s.

Jonathan LeVine with his brother, Bret.

Carlo McCormick, Jonathan LeVine, and Lori Zimmer.

Jonathan and his lovely mom, Lorraine. (Doesn’t she look too young to have a 40-year-old son?)

Michelle Piano and Jonathan LeVine.

Jared Rosenberg, Tim Strazza, and their team mate, wait their turn as their opponents bowl.

The Gallerists : Joshua Liner and Jonathan LeVine.

Dr. Lila Wolfe and her bearded boyfriend, Jeremy Kay.

Deborah Higgins and Eric Foss give this party two thumbs up!

Juicy Jen, of the Asbury Lanes, and Jonathan LeVine.

And then there was a Burlesque show!…

And then there were cupcakes!…

Lots of cupcakes and lots of candles!!!

He still managed to blow them all out, every last one.

A birthday hug: sweet ending to a sweet evening.
Thanks for coming out everyone!…

Mercy Centre Appeal

Jonathan LeVine Gallery is participating in an important fundraiser to benefit The Mercy Centre Foundation, donating pieces for auction by artists David Choe, Jeff Soto, and Jonathan Viner.

This appeal has been set up to raise much needed funds, allowing The Mercy Centre to continue the amazing work they do in assisting families and children in Bangkok. The Foundation will be auctioning artwork and sketchbooks from more than 19 artists and 9 galleries.

For further information about the appeal, please visit:
http://themercycentrefoundationappeal.blogspot.com

And for more images of the works being auctioned, check out:
http://banksyforum.proboards82.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=26036&page=1

If you would like to learn more about The Mercy Centre and their mission, please visit the organization’s main website: www.mercycentre.org

Pictoplasma + Mister P

Last week, during our installation for Ambien Somnambulants, solo exhibition of new works by Camille Rose Garcia, and The Panorama Project 3, group exhibition curated by Jordin Isip + Rodger Stevens, the Pictoplasma conference also took place in NYC, featuring a panel of speakers such as our very own represented artist, Tim Biskup. Other artists and friends were in town for the event as well, which took over NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts for three full days of Contemporary character design, lectures and presentations.

Eric White, who had a piece in the Panorama show, seen here with fellow artists Tim Biskup and Gary Baseman. The trio came to attend our opening reception after a full day of events at Pictoplasma.

Camille Rose Garcia‘s husband, Jeremy, takes a moment at the end of the evening to relax and catch up a bit with Manuel Bello, before we all decided to join the Pictoplasma participants at their afterparty, going on at Bar13.

We arrived at the afterparty just in time to catch a set by Tim Biskup (aka DJ Alphabeast).

JL gallery’s Media Relations person Maléna Seldin seen here with artist, Gary Baseman.

Meanwhile, Mister P, a lovable doll created by Camille Rose Garcia, gets to know the crowd…

Artistic dynamic duo, Friends with You, also speakers at Pictoplasma, made friends with Mr. P

But it appears Baseman got to first base…

Even our own Operations Manager, Phil Penberthy couldn’t resist the charm of Mister P

Finally, Biskup and the doll shared a tender moment after a long night. Everyone <3’s Mister P !

Manifest Hope in Denver this week!

Check out these cool videos on imeem of the Manifest Hope Gallery, a special exhibition open this week in Denver, especially timed for the Democratic National Convention.

Upper Playground, Shepard Fairey, and MoveOn.org joined forces to produce this exhibition of established as well as emerging artists, presenting the most widely recognized political artwork seen throughout the 2008 presidential primary campaign.

In addition to being one of the organizers, Shepard Fairey will have works in the show as well. This cause is a very important one to the artist, who after independently creating a series of posters inspired by the strong ideals of the Democratic candidate, was later commissioned to design an official campaign poster for Barack Obama.

Other featured artists in the exhibition include David Choe, The Date Farmers, Gary Baseman, Ron English, and more—many of which have created immensely popular Obama posters via Upper Playground, and are represented by, or have previously exhibitied at Jonathan LeVine Gallery.

Anyone in Denver this week should definitely check out the show!
Please visit the website for further details and visiting information:
http://manifesthope.com

SJMA Videos on Camille Rose Garcia

While all you Camille Rose Garcia fans are waiting around to see what she has in store for her upcoming solo exhibition Ambien Somnambulants, which will open our 2008 Fall Season (on Saturday, September 6th) here are some great videos you can watch, if you haven’t seen them already…

In conjunction with her 2007 retrospective exhibition Tragic Kingdom: The Art of Camille Rose Garcia at the San Jose Museum of Art, the museum produced a series of videos which were filmed on location at the artist’s home and studio. The videos included a personal tour of each collection of artwork included in the show, with footage of the artist herself while painting, discussing the making of her book, and preparing for her exhibition.

The museum’s excellent series of YouTube videos about Camille can be seen below, edited into a number of clips. They serve as fully descriptive and richly visual chapters in her artistic career. Seen together, the videos provide a wonderful insight into the artist’s deeply developed sense of narrative for every exhibition she has done, to date.

Enjoy!…

Afterparty for ADAM WALLACAVAGE

After the opening event for our two current solo exhibitions : Ray Caesar’s In the Garden of Moonlight and Adam Wallacavage’s Les Trésors de la Tanière de Neptune, the LeVine staff, joined by artists and friends, went down to Motor City bar to celebrate.

Here are some photos Adam found on his camera the next day.
He still insists the after party was at Studio 54 and not at Motor City.

Let’s have a look, shall we?…

Well, what can we say?
The evidence is certainly very convincing.

Here are some from photographs taken from our gallery camera, we’ll let you be the judge…

Jonathan almost didn’t get in, apparently he looks underage.

Laura Lee Howen, with the artist Adam Wallacavage and his lovely lady, Jodi Rice.

In this shot, Adam looks like he recognizes someone… who knows, maybe it’s Warhol!

Cassandra Caro, man of the hour Adam Wallacavage, Maléna Seldin, and Laura Pinello.

Scott Albrecht with Maléna Seldin, and Lori Zimmer.

A shot of the crowd. Pretty swanky couple in the upper right, but it still looks like Motor City…

A shot of the menu, basic beers. Also note: The Motor City logo just happens to be lit from above. Hmmm…

Here’s a shot of Jonathan doing his best Junior Birdman impersonation… just for fun.

And before long, NYPD arrived on the scene via paddy wagon. Guess things got a little too crazy over at Studio54… or was it Motor City?… Well folks, the jury’s still out on this one, looks like it very well could have been either. But, whichever version of the evening you experienced, I think we can all agree it was quite a party!

Have a great summer everyone, we’ll see you for plenty more good stuff in September!…

LeVine LA tour 2008

Howdy Campers!

Jonathan recently flew out to sunny Los Angeles to attend the opening of In The Garden Of Retinal Delights : The Juxtapoz Factor at Laguna Art Museum. We thought we’d share some photos from the show’s opening and the rest of Jonathan’s adventures during his trip…

A rare sight for an East-Coaster, we rarely get dolphins here in NYC.

Jonathan stopped in to say hello to James Jean, while in his studio, working away on his upcoming exhibition with us, scheduled for January of 2009.

He also paid a visit to Souther Salazar in his Eagle Rock studio.

Here’s Souther sitting at his work desk, sipping coffee while Jonathan takes a look around.

Of course, the trip wouldn’t be complete without visiting the Studio Number One offices to say hello to Shepard Fairey.

Here’s Shepard with a fresh batch of newly released prints, hot off the presses!

Jonathan and Mr. Brainwash, who was also in town, having an event the same week.

One more stop, to see Marsea Goldberg over at New Image Art Gallery.

And then Jonathan met up with collector and close friend of the gallery, Mr. Ron Dominguez.

The two of them headed over to the main event, opening night at Laguna Art Museum.

Outside, they were met by artist, Anthony Ausgang.

Inside they were greeted by Juxtapoz Magazine’s CEO, the lovely Gwynned Vitello.

Guests piled into the space throughout the evening, taking in views of the exciting collection of artwork and celebrity guests.

The fabulous pink-pearl-and-crystal-laden octopus chandelier, Fenicologia, by our currently exhibiting artist Adam Wallacavage, can be seen here hanging above a sculpture installation of machine-gun-toting hula dancers.

A piece by the Date Farmers.



And here’s a pic of the Date Farmers themselves, Armando Lerma and Carlos Ramirez.

Jeff Soto seen here with wife Jennifer and daugher Shannon, who was feelin a bit emotional.

…but Josh Agle (aka SHAG) was all smiles 😉

DJ Diabetic (aka Shepard Fairey) was spinning tunes for the event.

Artists Saber, Tim Biskup, and Isabelle Samaras.

Biskup and The Pizz.

Artists Gary Baseman and Scott Musgrove.



The artists Todd and Kathy Schorr.

Todd Schorr with fellow artists Eric White and Van Arno.

Todd Schorr with Mark Parker and the curator of the exhibition, Meg Linton.

Bruce Helford and Jan Corey Helford with William Haugh of Juxtapoz.

The night after the exciting Museum opening, Jonathan, joined by the lovely Maria Tokyo, hosted a tasty dinner at a local Italian restaurant for a group of his artists and friends.

Here’s a shot of the table.

Conversations between courses.



The ever-lovely artist Nouar with her lucky date, Gizz.

The Date Farmers were seated together, Carlos Ramirez and Armando Lerma.

Piet Agle and Josh Agle, seated next to Tim Biskup.

Gary Baseman made a toast towards the end.
We can’t tell you what he said but silliness ensued thereafter…



After much coaxing, Souther agrees to show off his guns.



…so, Jonathan and Tim follow suit.

And there you have it, friends. After a few nights of crazy California fun, Jonathan returned east just in time for the opening week of our two current solo exhibitions: In the Garden of Moonlight featuring Ray Caesar & Les Trésors de la Tanière de Neptune, featuring Adam Wallacavage. Check out their shows if you haven’t already done so, before they close on July 26, 2008!

If you’re lucky, you might get to see Jonathan make this face: