Luis Frangella — Hal Bromm Gallery

Hal Bromm
90 West Broadway, 2nd floor
New York, NY, 10007
+1 212-732-6196

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Luis Frangella b. 1944

Luis Frangella (b. 1944, Buenos Aires, Argentina) was a figurative, postmodern painter and sculptor. He earned a masters in architecture at the University of Buenos Aires in 1972 and attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973. In 1976, Frangella moved to New York City where he painted huge “street” murals on construction site walls, abandoned Hudson River piers, and in the nightclubs of the East Village and Tribeca.

Situated in these nontraditional spaces, he began working with subversive artists like David Wojnarowicz. Luis became a sort of father figure to many younger artists as he established himself as an influential member of the East Village art scene. Known as a good cook, he fostered a sense of community and caring, often serving impromptu meals in his loft after the late-night club scene was winding down. Writing in Art Forum (1985), John Howell proclaimed, “Luis Frangella is a classic junk artist. That is, he grafts the essence of classic art themes and techniques onto an anthology of urban debris used as support materials, thereby updating the past and historicizing the present.”

At the height of the AIDS epidemic Frangella was diagnosed with the disease and played an integral role in the ACT UP movement. Ostracized by his sexuality and state of health, Frangella embraced the marginalization he faced, applying it to his art and activism. Seriously incapacitated by his illness, Frangella was unable to remain involved for long, dying in 1990 at the age of 46 in New York City.

Exhibition History

New Talent
Climbing
New Painting
Figure!
New Sculpture
Brain Damage Paintings
Home Sweet Home
Major Works
Untitled
Vintage East Village
Black & White
30
Insecure
40: The Anniversary Exhibition
Snowjob
Paintings From the 1980‘s
Metamorphosis
Luis Frangella & Russell Sharon: A Life in Art
FACES I