July 20 Sat. - September 29, Sun. 2002

Vincent Gallo Stranger #20 2001

The Hara Museum is pleased to announce the exhibition Vincent Gallo Retrospective 1977-2002. In 1999, Gallo's movie "Buffalo '66" catapulted him to fame in Japan. Since then, Gallo's keen sensitivity, sublime expression, and uncompromising dedication to his private aesthetic have captured the imagination of a great many youths for whom he has become a charismatic figure. As the artist's first major retrospective, this exhibition features some 120 artworks, carefully selected from the 500 or so paintings, drawings, and photographs that he produced between 1977 and 2002. As the title indicates, this exhibition spans the artist's entire career as a painter, from his early works made before the start of his career in New York to his most recent works. Together, they provide an excellent overview of Gallo's maturation as an artist and the development of his rare eye for beauty through 20 years of continuous self-confrontation.

STRANGER #04 2001

Who Is Vincent Gallo?

As a unique and multi-talented artist, Vincent Gallo may be the most prominent artist in the world today. He has demonstrated boundless talent and the highest quality as a film director, actor, painter, photographer, and musician, and even as a motorcycle racer and a fashion model. Of these roles, he received extensive recognition for the work that he did as director, lead actor, producer, and music composer for his movie "Buffalo '66." The movie ran for 34 weeks in Tokyo alone. In total, more than 400,000 people saw the movie in over 150 movie theatres throughout Japan, setting a high mark in the history of independent films. Gallo's innovative plot and composition gave the movie high emotional power. What is less known is the role Gallo played in the development of film and special hardware that allowed him to give form to his vision.

His hate for pre-existing notions and strictures has led him to constantly new frontiers. In 2001, he released "When," his first solo album for which he served as songwriter, performer, studio technician and producer, garnering high praise from professionals in the field for the newness of his sound. Gallo has dynamically pursued multifaceted expression, and yet the fact that Gallo has created some 500 artworks since the 1970s is not widely known in Japan. Despite his success in such collaborative efforts best represented by film, for Gallo, who uses himself as raw material for his work, visual art remains a vital means by which to express himself in a pure and complete manner.

SORRY 1992         UNTITLED 1977

What is Gallo's Art?

Born in Buffalo, New York in 1962, Vincent Gallo began drawing before he left for New York City at the age of 16. Between the years 1977 to 1982, he produced 160 drawings. During the early eighties, the explosion in graffiti art on subway walls and cars gave birth to the period's art wonderboys. In Gallo's work of this period, which differs from the polychromatic energy of graffiti art, one already sees a direct expression of the impulses, anxieties, aversions, and frustrations of a sensitive and distorted youth in his late teens, an indication of the artist's constant willingness to directly face his inner self no matter how painful it may be.

Gallo gradually broadened his fields of activities through his acquaintance with a variety of people. In New York where underground art was at its peak, Gallo formed the band "GRAY" with Jean-Michel Basquiat, who later gained fame as a painter, and appeared in 8-mm films. In Europe where he pursued music activities, he also met such people as the artist Francesco Clemente and the film director Bernardo Bertolucci. This was a period of vigorous study and the gradual formation of his original style.

In the eighties, he started painting on manhole covers and metal plates instead of canvas, producing works reminiscent of anti-art or ready-mades. These metal plates, covered with rust and countless scratches, bear delicate flowers, fruits, vases and other objects of surprising lyricism and sensitivity. Drawn from memories of a lonely childhood, these images bear the scraping of the artist to convey impressions that allow us to understand the torment in his mind at the time he created them. In the serene, almost prayer-like expression of these images, we feel the artist searching for light within hopeless despair, and find a source of gentle pacification and healing. But rather than art therapy, these desolate paintings might be seen as conceptual works that embody references to art history and musicality.

In the nineties, Gallo began producing photographic works that incorporated cinematic compositions. The photograph used in the exhibition poster is taken from a series of works that encapsulates the time he spent with his beloved ex-wife Bethany. Having appeared in a Japanese TV commercial, the image is a well-known one to Japanese audiences, but one that has been altered and made pitiful by rough scraping by the artist-scraping that seems bent on erasing the relationship, as well as the time spent with her prior to their unexpected breakup. At first glance, the series might seem to be a product of violent and temporal emotions. But it might also be an attempt to transform a painfully beautiful and irreplaceable moment into a state of eternity by relegating it to the past and turning it into an abstraction. The result is a distorted and cracked beauty. All of Gallo's series are indeed a reflection of an aesthetic by which he elevates his personal experiences into universal themes of solitude, sorrow, love, and hope.

Vincent Gallo's Progression to the Present and into the Future In the eighties, Gallo's creative activities moved into high gear in New York, where he met Annina Nosei, widely known for her knack for discovering young artists. This led to his first solo exhibition in 1985. Since then, his artworks have been shown worldwide and now mostly reside in private collections. The paintings that Gallo has produced till now will be published in a single volume in December 2002. In the same year, Gallo is scheduled to complete filming of his long-awaited second directorial effort, "The Brown Bunny." These two events represent a new peak for Gallo, and with the holding of this exhibition, this year promises to open a new chapter in his career as a contemporary artist. As an artist who holds the word "trend" in disdain and who constantly refuses to ride the currents of the age, Gallo has remained true to an original vision, producing a universal expression that is sure to strike a responsive chord in a great many people.

Profile of Vincent Gallo

Born in Buffalo, New York in 1962 to Italian-American parents, Gallo left his hometown in 1978 at the age of 16, with guitar in hand, for New York City. Spending his days in poverty and his nights in his cherished Chevy or cheap hotels, he eventually met Jean-Michel Basquiat, formed the band "GRAY," and began performing at the Mudd Club and other places. Leaving the band, he pursued a music career in Europe. He traveled throughout the Continent, met such persons as the painter Francesco Clemente and the film director Bernardo Bertolucci, and began building a base of activities in Europe, only to return to New York City thereafter.

In the eighties, he made short films while continuing his music activities with the band "Bohack." At this time, he began to hold exhibitions and to establish himself as a painter. He also began working as a professional motorcycle racer, entering races around the world on a Yamaha motorcycle. He called this activity a "pastime" with the sole aim of obtaining health insurance.

In the nineties, he became a professional actor, appearing in the films of offbeat directors, and in 1998, he completed "Buffalo '66." During these years, he also worked as a fashion model for long-time friends and fashion designers Anna Sui and Calvin Klein. This won him the attention of the fashion world and extended his range of activities even further. His music career was boosted by his composition of the "Buffalo '66" soundtrack, by the release of a CD by the band "Bunny," which he formed with the actor Lukas Haas, and by concerts given in Japan.

With the advent of the twenty-first century, Vincent Gallo began to stir again. In September 2001, he released his first solo album "When" for which he was responsible for the lyrics, melodies, performance, recording, and production. In December, he gave a concert in Japan, underscoring his great success as a musician. In 2002, he has begun filming "The Brown Bunny," his long awaited second directorial effort. In addition, he played the lead role in the movie "Trouble Every Day," to be premiered in October, released on June 22 "Recordings Of Music for Film," his second solo album after "When," and will see the publication in December of a collection of his paintings spanning his entire career.

Contrary to his "enfant terrible" image, Gallo does not smoke, drink, or take drugs. He is a perfectionist who stoically seeks the highest level in all matters. He is also a renowned collector of a wide range of things, from audio and music equipment, musical instruments, automobiles and motorbikes, to vintage clothes, 35mm films, contemporary art, videos, guitars, and vinyl records.

Gallo names as his favorite film directors Yasujiro Ozu and Paolo Pazolini, while his favorite paintings are Marchel Duchamp, as well as Robert Ryman whose works are in his private collection. Gallo is an extraordinary artist with a love for Hong Kong, New York City and Tokyo.

Vincent Gallo Retrospective 1977-2002

Dates: July 20 (Sat. (a national holiday)) - September 29 (Sun.), 2002
Place: Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, 4-7-25 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 140-0001
Tel: +81 3 3445-0651 Fax: +81 3 3473-0104
Organized by: Hara Museum of Contemporary Art and KINOTICA co., ltd.
Under the auspices of: American Embassy
Official radio station: J-WAVE
Official airline: JAL
Support provided by: UNITED ARROWS LTD.
Featured works: Paintings, drawings, photographs, etc. (about 120 pieces)
Related events: To be announced on the Hara Museum website.
Hours: 11:00-17:00, Wednesdays until 20:00; Closed on Mondays (open on 16th & 23rd of September, and closed on 17th & 24th of September)
Admission: Regular 1,000yen / Students 16 and over 700yen / Under 15 500yen
[Free for Museum members, students through high school (every Saturday) and for those 70 and over] \100 discount per person for groups of 20 or more.