The opening reception was a tremendous success. While artists like Dolk, Jeff Henriquez, See-One, LA II, Haring, Banksy and Penn adorned the walls, collectors sipped brazilian inspired cocktails under the roof of the Dorian Grey Gallery.

Photographs by Shell Sheddy from the opening reception below

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In February, 2012, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), reached out to NYC artist Jeremy Penn to ask if he would be willing to create and donate a painting for an upcoming fundraiser titled JustArt: Justice, Advocacy & Art .

The ADL hand-picked a few of New York’s best artists and gave them topics to paint that reflect the ADL’s core missions.

Being a third generation Holocaust survivor, Penn selected anti-Semitism as his topic.

“It is important to remember how recent the Holocaust was. The message of hate seems to spread faster then the message of love and we need spotlight those in the public eye who are anti-Semitic at their core,” says Penn.

Penn, who’s paintings are best known for their seductive and cerebral qualities, wanted to focus on the prevalence of anti-Semitism in popular culture.

With the recent nature of fashion designer John Galliano’s anti-Semetic rant, Penn chose him as his subject.

When asked why he chose someone like Galliano over a repeat offender like Mel Gibson, Penn says, “Gibson is like the elderly dog with behavior problems that nobody wants to play with anymore. Galliano is the fresh new face of anti-Semitism.”

Penn’s painting “Yonatan” shows Galliano as a Bar Mitzvah boy being adorned in a Christian Dior talas and yamaka.

The Bar or Bat Mitzvah is a Jewish coming of age ritual that symbolizes the journey into adulthood and the commencement of a new set of responsibilities, none more important than accepting of moral responsibility for one’s own actions; something Galliano has never done.

John Galliano is without question one of the most talented fashion designers of our time. For 15 years, he was Head Designer for French Haute Couture house Christian Dior.

On February 25th, 2011, Galliano was arrested after an anti-Semetic tirade in a French bar, under the Gayssot Act, a French law that prohibits the questioning or denying the existence of crime against humanity. Galliano was immediately suspended by Dior following the arrest.

That same day, video surfaced on a British tabloid’s website of Galliano in the same French bar one year earlier hurling a similar anti-Semetic rant to a group of Italian women. The video went viral and three days later, Dior announced that they would be dismissing Galliano as head designer.

An obviously drunk Galliano can be seen and heard very clearly in the now infamous video saying, “I love Hitler… People like you would be dead. Your mothers, your forefathers would all be fucking gassed.”

Despite checking himself into a rehabilitation center, Galliano continues to deny the allegations and has launched an anti-defamation suit against the couple accusing him of anti-Semitism.

The trial against Galliano commenced on June 22, 2011. On September 8th, 2011, John Galliano was found guilty of making these anti-Semetic remarks and was sentenced to pay a fine of 6,000 euros which converts to $8,400 US Dollars.

“Yonatan” will be auctioned off at JustART, an ADL hosted art exhibition being held at Benrimon Contemporary in New York City. Tickets can be purchased here.

Exhibiting alongside artist Jeremy Penn will be artists like Borbay, Paul Zepeda, Ari Lankin, Michael Serafino, Star Galler, and more.

Purchase tickets to this exclusive event below.

The Next Generation Philanthropy Community invites you to JustArt: Justice, Advocacy & Art, the inaugural exhibition, fundraiser and silent auction celebrating the universality of the mission of the Anti-Defamation League.

Buy Tickets Here

Exhibition will be open to the public from May 18 – May 20

JustArt is the first annual art exhibition, fundraiser and silent auction highlighting the mission and impact of the ADL. JustArt features unique artwork created by over 20 emerging and award winning artists and focus on one or more aspects of ADL’s mission.

General admission includes an open wine bar, hors d’ouevres and music. VIP admission includes a private viewing with the artists and an original JustArt print commemorating the event. Twenty-five percent of all artwork from the silent auction goes to support ADL’s local efforts in New York City.

$20, the per ticket cost of the event, is not tax-deductible.

On April 28th, 2012, the Dorian Grey Gallery will open its doors to their latest exhibition, Groupe GRAFF, an exhibition celebrating art that was raised on the streets. Groupe GRAFF will showcase the work of Keith Haring, Richard Hambleton, Jeremy Penn, AVone, Crash, See One, LA II, and Jeff Henriquez.

Opening Reception:

April 28th, 2012

6pm-9pm

437 East 9th Street @ Avenue A

About the Dorian Grey Gallery:

The Dorian Grey Gallery has become the East Village’s hottest art attraction for emerging art. The gallery is a dynamic retail venue geared towards showcasing both established and emerging artists. With a keen eye focused on “street art” and the New York emerging art scene the Dorian Grey Gallery continues to be the premier exhibition space and “voice” for the numerous local undiscovered and rising artistic talents. Most exhibitions feature art where street and graffiti themed works are displayed alongside other pieces that represent a diverse selection of exemplary art offered in an intimate and informative environment. Recently, the Dorian Grey Gallery received some real street art credibility in the form of an unexpected visit by the artist Kenny Scharf, who spontaneously painted a mural on the gallery’s roll down gate. Scharf whose prolific work graced many walls in the city during the graffiti heyday of the 1980s, once lived across the street from the gallery’s current location. Dorian Grey Gallery is a joint venture between veteran art dealers Christopher Pusey & Luis Accorsi.

Architectural Digest and the New York Times present the 11th Annual Architectural Digest Home Design Show.  The world’s top designers, manufacturers, and artists get together to exhibit their best work, unveil new products, and showcase new trends.

Koo de Monde, brings together exceptional artists, designers and artisans with a global marketplace of sophisticated buyers, will be making a big splash this year at Pier 94.

Among the elite designers Koo de Monde will be exhibiting at Booth #133, is NYC Artist Jeremy Penn. Penn will be exhibiting two never-before-seen paintings that he painted special for the Arch Digest Show.

The Architectural Digest Home Design Show runs from March 22nd-25th (Thursday-Saturday 10am-7pm | Sunday 10am-6pm.) The show is at Pier 94, 55th Street and 12th Avenue

RdV Lounge is located at:

Photos from the Lips and Lollipops Exhibition Opening

Below are the paintings that I exhibited at the show

Follow on Twitter:

@Jeremy Penn

@Indiewalls

"Lick Series: Lollipop" by Kristina Cao

IndieWalls and RdV Lounge, one of New York City’s hottest night spots, are teaming up to present an art show called “Lips and Lollipops” which will feature some of NYC’s hottest working artists.

Lips and Lollipops will feature work from artists Jeremy Penn, Vincent Ballentine, Kristina Cao, Aimee Hertog, Stephanie NG, Hubert Kretzschmar, and Vadim Wood.

The Opening Reception is: March 10, 2012 starting at 9pm at RdV Lounge: 409 West 13th Street.

RSVP to rsvp@indiewalls.com or visit the Facebook event page here.

"EDIE" | 18" x 12" | Acrylic on Canvas | Artist Jeremy Penn

The word Muse or Muses originates from Greek Mythology. The Muses were goddesses of knowledge that inspire the creation of the arts.

There are many famous muses throughout art history. Picasso had Dora Maar, Roger Vadim (and Jeremy Penn) had Brigitte Bardot, Jeff Koons had Ilona Staller, David LaChapelle has Amanda Lepore, and Andy Warhol had Edie Sedgwick.

Andy Warhol has had a big influence on my work. I don’t believe Andy ever had a chance to fully understand the power of his art and there is a part of that is inspired by its evolution over time.

Behind some of Warhol’s most interesting work was a girl named Edie Sedgwick, his muse.

Who was this misunderstood goddess of inspiration?

I dove into her life story in an attempt to understand someone who was tragically misunderstood.

About Edie

Edie Sedgwick was born into a family of great wealth and history. Despite the impressive lineage, Edie’s immediate family had their fair share of issue and suffered some horrific tragedies.

Edie herself suffered anorexia and bulimia from her very early teens. Her relationship with her narcissistic father had a lot to do with shaping her psychology.

In 1965, Edie met artist Andy Warhol and they formed a muse-to-artist relationship that will be one of the most iconic in history.

Warhol used Edie Sedgwick in films like Space, Vinyl, Horse, Kitchen, Poor Little Rich Girl, and more.

People often say that her relationship with Warhol drove her into a life of drugs and manic behavior. The truth is, Edie entered the relationship with most of these issues.

It is said that Andy used Edie for her social status. Andy loved the celebrity lifestyle and Edie was able to open up a lot of doors for him.

Edie and Andy’s relationship dissolved after a year and she began getting close to Bob Dylan. It is rumored that Edie was carrying Dylan’s child but had an abortion.

During that time, Edie formed a relationship with Dylan’s best friend Bob Neuwirth. She became increasingly dependent on barbiturates and her manic behavior led to the end their relationship.

In 1971, Edie died from an accident/suicide of prescription barbiturates.

Jeremy Penn, an artist known for breathing life back into certain time periods through his artwork, has continuously found inspiration in popular French culture of the 1960’s.

His first painted Brigitte Bardot back in 2010. The painting titled “Animal Instinct,” was inspired by Bardot’s tipping point as a sexual goddess.

Penn says, “After watching a marathon of Bardot films, I experienced her evolving from a vulnerable girl with innocent sexual overtones to the confident woman who owned her sexuality. The kind of woman who can steal your breath with her gaze.”

The power of seduction through eye contact is the constant tone found within his works. He often speaks of a power play between his subjects and the viewer and how he likes to play on the natural response of submissiveness and dominance.

Penn has gone on to paint other French Icon’s like Serge Gainsbourg, Jane Birkin, Catherine Deneuve, and Emmauelle Béart. He plans on finishing 3 more portraits before bringing his exhibit overseas to Paris. The venue is still to be determined.

For his latest 2 paintings, Penn sourced imagery from an illustration found on one of Bardot’s old movie posters.

“This little illustration of Brigitte Bardot was so strong but was completely overshadowed by photography and 4-color jobs. So, I stole it, reworked it, and I am releasing it back into the world,” said Penn.

View video of Jeremy Penn painting Hot Lips Part 2  below:

Click here to view the embedded video.

EYES ARE THE WINDOW OF THE SOUL

There are only a few artists who can paint a face, and when looking into the eyes of the portrait you feel an instant connection to the person. We here at Koo are extremely lucky to have one of these talented people on our site! New York artist, Jeremy Penn has the ability to paint faces and show so much emotion behind their eyes.

“24KKM” is unique in that it is dusted in real 24K Gold! His blog descirbes why he desided on using gold to finiah the portrait,’ “Kate Moss has evolved into something more than just a supermodel. She is royalty. No color pigment can represent Kate Moss in the way in which she deserves. Real gold is the only choice,” said Penn of his use of 24-karat gold.

Penn was born in 1979 in New York and studied Fine Art at both the University of Maryland and Pratt Institute. Since college he has been making a name for himself by painting. He has shown his work in some amazing places. We met up with him while we were at Art Basel Miami Beach, where he showed Le Réve Classique and 24KKM.

This past year Penn has been working on some very interesting projects. One being his William Murphy Series. William Murphy was inmate 23826. His 1914 mug shot landed in Penn’s hands and the rest is history.

Penn saw something in William Murphy’s eyes that drew him in and he needed to know more. He started researching and found two different William Murphy’s one died in a knife fight, the other a war hero. Which William Murphy had he been so entranced by?

On his journey to learn more about William Murphy he discovered so much but one thing stands out. “If there was one thing I learned, it was that this project was going to evolve and that the judgment of William Murphy is not mine. It’s in the eye of the beholder.”, Penn said on his site dedicated to his William Murphy experience.

Penn explains more about what he discovered on his blog. If you’d like to read the rest of William Murphy’s story go to http://www.thedeceptionofwilliammurphy.com/the-story/.

Penn has let us look into the eyes of celebrities and convicts and in his paintings we see something deeper than just a face. We see the emotion and sadness behind their eyes. With out artists like him we would forget that the people in his paintings were real people with real emotions and were once or still are very much alive, and for that we thank him.

If you would like to see more or Jeremy Penn’s work visit http://www.jeremypenn.com/  . If you are interested in purchasing one of Mr. Penn’s creations, please log in and our white glove service will be more than happy to assist you in the purchasing process.

You can view this article on the Koo de Monde website.

Jeremy Penn plans to exhibit his artwork with Koo de Monde at the Architectural Digest show in New York City this March.