Futura

Leonard McGurr, aka Futura, was born in New York in 1955. Futura was one of the very first graffiti artists to break away from lettering in the early '80s and create abstract compositions. Futura soon developed a body of work on canvas, which he exhibited alongside artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf. The key elements of the style we know today are already there: clouds of color with subtle variations, extremely fine lines that seem to scratch the surface, and above all that astonishing fluidity of execution that gives his works that distinctive atmospheric tone. His style and virtuosity have made Futura a key figure in the urban art scene, which has spanned the ages and made a mockery of simplistic categories. He is regularly invited to take part in projects and exhibitions by institutions around the world, including the Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain and the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the MOCA in Los Angeles and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.