Futura

New York / USA

One of the most renowned figures of the contemporary art scene is illustrator, photographer, sculptor as well as fashion and graphic designer Futura. Born in New York City as Leonard Hilton McGurr, Futura helped define the graffiti movement by moving from lettering towards a painterly, abstract and expressionist design. Starting with aerosol spray painting on subway cars, over the decades Futura expanded his technique and developed into an acclaimed artist. Futura’s works are featured as a part of the opening of URBAN NATION Museum in 2017. […]

Biography / Futura

One of the most renowned figures of the contemporary art scene is illustrator, photographer, sculptor as well as fashion and graphic designer Futura. Born in New York City as Leonard Hilton McGurr, Futura helped define the graffiti movement by moving from lettering towards a painterly, abstract and expressionist design. Starting with aerosol spray painting on subway cars, over the decades Futura expanded his technique and developed into an acclaimed artist. Futura’s works are featured as a part of the opening of URBAN NATION Museum in 2017.

Heavily involved with arts in general, Futura has been working with British rock band The Clash during the 80’s, exhibited with major artists like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat and collaborated with fashion heavy weights like A Bathing Ape, Nike and Levi’s. While most of his works are clearly abstract, sometimes resembling Jackson Pollock’s drip paintings, some include elements of urban and street art. One of the most recognizable motifs of the self-taught artist is the so called Pointman, a robotic figure with a vertically extended head, giving it the form of a spaceship set atop a human-like body.