Portraits & Landscapes

June 1 to July 14, 2012

With his latest work, Towne is exploring Landscapes that embody a mystery of gay sex and fertility. The Meat Rack and the Boardwalks of Fire Island, the abandoned Carrington Estate House (where Truman Capote is rumored to have written "Breakfast at Tiffany’s" in bed in 1958), and the All-Male Video Arcade in New York City all resonate with a lingering ghost essence of countless sexual encounters and gay history.

In conjunction to the landscapes, Towne has produced a new series of male portraits, for which he is known. They are both a return to and a departure from his previous work. While this work again depicts the solo male figure, there is more variety of ethnicity. With this work, Towne holds up a mirror to both himself and the audience; so that they may find a deeper, truer understanding of the variety of the male condition.

In addition to the "George Towne: Portraits & Landscapes" month-long exhibition, a special "one-night only event" has been planned. On June 21st from 8-10PM, there will be a selection of Drawings that Towne has produced at the Leslie-Lohman Gay Men’s Erotic Drawing Studio on display at Michael Mut Project Space. These are mostly Drawings done from life, of models holding sexually provocative poses, often wearing fetish gear.

Born in Pennsylvania and raised in Port Jervis, New York, Towne came to New York City to attend School of Visual Arts over 20 years ago, and has since settled into the East Village neighborhood. His work has been the subject of exhibitions at the Barbara Ann Levy Gallery in Fire Island, the Delaware Arts Alliance in Narrowsburg, NY, and the New York LGBT Community Center. He has been featured in publications such as American Artist Magazine, A&U - Art & Understanding, Time Out New York, and Next Magazine. Additionally, his work is featured in the Art Book compilations "100 Artists of the Male Figure", "Powerfully Beautiful", and "Stripped, Uncensored". 

george towne