September 11, 2004 – October 29, 2004
Once again, John Lurie brings his own genuine and soulful touch to the world. On this occasion, it is through his works on paper and their unique mixture of comedy, rawness, and emotion.Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1952, John Lurie moved to New York in 1976. With his brother, Evan, he formed the musical group The Lounge Lizards in 1978.
The Lounge Lizards, embedded in the frenetic downtown no-wave scene, drew their influences from jazz, classical, African, and other ethnic music. In the mid-80’s, Lurie scored and starred in the cult classic films “Stranger Than Paradise” and “Down By Law”. He has scored countless films, and was nominated for a Grammy for his score on “Get Shorty”. In the late 90’s, Lurie directed and acted in his own television series, “Fishing With John”, which has been described as “JacquesCousteau on LSD”. Lurie has been drawing and painting for 30 years.
Illness and the unseemly nature of the music business have caused him to drift from music, and for the last two years he has been able to focus his creative energies on painting. Naive and bittersweet, his drawings bear the mark of an outsider, a quality present throughout his idiosyncratic career. Lurie adds, “I like to draw and paint. It is a river to me. I am not an Indian.”