Jonathan Yeo- PORN IN THE USA

Lazarides is delighted to announce the solo exhibition of Jonathan Yeo. The third show in the temporary Beverly Hills space will be Yeo’s most ambitious exhibition to date and promises to be one of tantalizing surprises.

Exhibition Opens to the Public: Friday July 9, 2010
Exhibition Runs: July 9 -  August 8, 2010
Location: 320 North Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills CA 90210 (open daily Noon-8pm)

Celebrated for his skillfully oil-painted portraits of famous subjects, his sitters have included Dennis Hopper, Nicole Kidman and Tony Blair. In 2007, Yeo's work took a new direction when the White House reneged on a commission for him to paint a portrait of President George W. Bush. He went ahead with the picture anyway, creating a collaged likeness out of hardcore pornographic magazines.  The image was unveiled at Lazarides London in August 2007 and immediately became notorious around the world.

Yeo has continued to explore the possibilities of collage and has immortalized a series of Twenty-First Century icons including Lucian Freud, Hugh Hefner and Paris Hilton. He has also created original images featuring nudes and botanical studies, the beauty of which contradict their source material.

The visual trickery of collage allows Yeo to deceive the viewer as the explicit tone is disregarded at first glance, yet on closer inspection the realization that the perfect flesh tones are in fact flesh writhing in passion.

This exhibition features his newest and most provocative works to date, including some surprising new portraits and a version of his controversial wallpaper design unveiled recently at the new Soho House members-only club in West Hollywood.

Porn in the USA is Jonathan Yeo’s first solo exhibition in the US.

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