Last Gasp Books » american surreal

Todd Schorr — Designed for Extinction

Colin — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:03:25 +0000

Todd Schorr: Designed for Extinction
Opening reception: June 26, 4-7pm
Book-signing for Schorr’s latest monograph American Surreal hosted by Last Gasp.

Designed for Extinction is a solo exhibition featuring the paintings of Los Angeles-based artist Todd Schorr, a leading figure in the world of “pop surrealism” and “lowbrow.” Schorr is undeniably inspired by Renaissance masters such as Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter Bruegel, and Salvador Dali, as well as the early animated cartoons of Walt Disney and Max Fleischer, underground comics best exemplified by Zap, and classic films from the 1930s such as King Kong and Frankenstein. His highly polished, fantastic paintings are intricate narratives about evolution and the plight of man

Music by GLUE ONE, food by Rasta Tacos, and limited edition Todd Schorr designed T-shirt provided by Hurley.

Otis College of Art and Design
9045 Lincoln Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045

Show runs June 26 – September 11, 2010

More Info
Full Press Release

Last Gasp Holiday Catalog is here!

Colin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:11:18 +0000

Our Holiday catalog is being printed and will be mailed out in the next couple of weeks.

DOWNLOAD
In the mean time, you can download a pdf of it here.

Ordering information for Mail-Order customers is here.

Ordering information for Wholesale customers (i.e. stores) is here.

Here’s a sampling of some of the pages:

Cover artwork by the masterful Todd Schorr. You can see a preview of his newest book here.

Frankfurt Book Fair 2009 pics

Colin — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:22:21 +0000

Frankfurt Book Fair is always a strange and exciting show. This year was no different, and we met and spoke with a wide range of folks from all over the globe. Here are some of our best-dressed customers.

Some more shots of the stand:

Todd Schorr signing in NYC

Colin — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:14:36 +0000

Attention New Yorkers

Todd Schorr will sign copies of his new book American Surreal at Jonathan Levine Gallery this Saturday, Oct 10, from 3-5pm.

The book is a collection of Todd’s most recent mind-blowing paintings, documenting the work of one of pop surrealism’s most talented artists. The works are elegantly presented at 10 x 15″ on thick artpaper, with a quarterbound cloth cover and gilded edges.

Book Preview

Jonathan LeVine Gallery
529 West 20th Street, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10011
212-243-3822

Todd Schorr Book Signing

Colin — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 01:06:30 +0000

Todd Schorr will be signing his beautiful new book, American Surreal, this Saturday, August 15th. The new book picks up where his bestselling book, Dreamland, left off and includes the exquisite ape themed paintings that were unveiled earlier this year.

The large format, hardcover, 100 page book was published by Last Gasp, San Francisco, and will be available for sale at the signing at Merry Karnowsky Gallery in Los Angeles. Limited edition giclées and show posters are also available.

Did we mention that wine and cookies will be served? Mark your calendar for this Saturday, August 15th, from 2-5pm for your time with the master Mr. Schorr.

Saturday, August 15, 2009 at 2pm
Merry Karnowsky Gallery
170 S. La Brea Ave (in the Art 170 Building) Los Angeles, CA 90036

http://www.mkgallery.com

Last Gasp Comic-Con Signings – Booth #1616

Colin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:01:36 +0000

Todd Schorr, Mark Ryden, Joe Ledbetter, James Jean, The Pizz, Scott Musgrove, Ron English, and Travis Louie will all be signing at the Last Gasp booth (#1616) at Comic-Con this year.

Todd Schorr will be signing American Surreal (preview) and Dreamland

Mark Ryden will be signing The Tree Show book, Tree Show Micro-portfolio (preview), Sweet Wishes, and his new toy YHWH (limited quantities)

Joe Ledbetter will be signing Creatures of Habit

The Pizz will be signing The Dizzy Dictionary (limited quantities)

Scott Musgrove will be signing The Late Fauna of Early North America

James Jean will be signing The Hallowed Seam: Process Recess Vol. 3, limited quantities of Fables Covers, and XOXO Postcards

Ron English will be signing Abject Expressionism and Popaganda

Travis Louie will be signing Curiosities with a Comic-Con exclusive cover

We will also have copies of the Hi-Fructose Collected Edition Box Set (sold out) for sale, as well as many other new, rare, and exciting books.

The schedule is as follows:

Friday
Ron English, Noon
Mark Ryden, 2pm
Scott Musgrove, 4pm

Saturday
Joe Ledbetter, noon
Todd Schorr, 2pm
The Pizz, 3:00pm
Mark Ryden, 4:00pm
Joe Ledbetter, 5:30pm (2nd signing)

Sunday
Travis Louie, noon
James Jean, 2pm

Todd Schorr: American Surreal

Colin — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:08:10 +0000

We’re super-excited about our newest book, Todd Schorr: American Surreal. It just arrived at our warehouse and you can see a preview here.

This is the latest collection of paintings by one of contemporary surrealism’s most influential artists. American Surreal picks up where Dreamland, Schorr’s previous bestselling collection of mind-bending paintings, left off. The viewer can look forward to countless hours of eye bulging investigative thought while examining the impeccably rendered subject matter that has become the hallmark of Schorr’s outrageous vision.

One of the seminal figures in what has come to be known as the Lowbrow or Pop Surrealism art movement, Schorr has continually and systematically set the bar ever higher in his quest to bring classic old master painting technique to his pop-culture-infused subject matter. This latest collection continues that journey culminating with the epic masterpiece Ape Worship, included in this volume. Schorr’s paintings are the subject of museum retrospectives in 2009 and 2010, and are highly prized and coveted by collectors the world over. American Surreal is sure to satisfy those with an overly-developed visual appetite.

The book accompanies a museum retrospective of Todd’s work that is now up at the San Jose Museum of Art. Todd will be signing his new book at a special book release and opening party at the museum on July 16 (information below). He will also be on a signing tour, including the following stops:

July 16 – Opening reception and book signing at SJMA (7:30-10pm), 110 South Market Street, San Jose, CA 95113 • (408) 271-6840 • www.sjmusart.org

July 25 – San Diego Comic-Con International, Last Gasp booth (#1616).

Aug 15 – Merry Karnowsky Gallery, 170 S. La Brea Avenue (in the Art 170 Building) • Los Angeles, CA 90036 • (323) 933-4408 • www.mkgallery.com

Oct 10 – Jonathan Levine Gallery, 529 West 20th Street, 9E New York, NY 10011 • (212) 243-3822 • www.johnathanlevinegallery.com

Sept/Oct (exact date TBA) – Mondo Bizzarro Gallery, Via Reggio Emilia 32 c/d, 00198 Roma, Italy • 06 44247451 • www.mondobizzarro.net

Last Gasp BEA 2009 in New York

Colin — Fri, 01 May 2009 22:20:29 +0000

Last Gasp will be in New York for Book Expo at the end of May. We’ll be at booth #4651, at Javits Center showing our newest books, including advance air copies of American Surreal and other exciting releases. We will also have books and previews from the many wonderful and exciting publishers we distribute. As always, we’ll have a special discount for retailers who come by and place an order at the show. This will be the first place to get our new 2009 publishing catalog with cover art by Mark Ryden and Todd Schorr. The show runs from May 29-31. Please come by and say hello!

Hot Todd Schorr opening in LA

Colin — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:35:37 +0000

We went down to LA this past weekend for Todd Schorr’s opening at Merry Karnowsky Gallery. What a show!

If you missed it, your next opportunity to see Todd’s work will be at his museum retrospective opening June 20 at the San Jose Museum of Art.

It seems a few other people, including Vanity Fair, thought it was a good party too:

VF Daily’s picks for the top three parties around the globe last night.

A Schorr Thing
What: Todd Schorr art opening.
Where: Merry Karnowsky Gallery, Los Angeles.
Who: David Arquette and siblings Patricia and Alexis Arquette, Todd Schorr, Merry Karnowsky, Thomas Jane, Ron Turner, Apollonia, Ryan Eggold, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Why: David Arquette hosted the evening, which celebrated Schorr’s newest works and raised funds for Feeding America.
Talking Point: Art. Guests couldn’t get enough of Schorr’s wild style, which he calls “cartoon realism.”

You can read more about it and see some pictures at SuperTouch and Arrested Motion.

Studio Visit with Todd Schorr

Colin — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:34:42 +0000

Arrested Motion has posted an interview with artist Todd Schorr. Todd’s work is brilliant and Last Gasp is excited to be publishing our third book with him. The new book is called “American Surreal” and includes all work done since the last publication, Dreamland. This weekend Todd has an opening at Merry Karnowsky Gallery in LA. In June, a museum retrospective of Todd’s work will open at the San Jose Museum of Art. We just reviewed the proofs for American Surreal and it is going to be an incredible book. It is very large (10×15) and over 120 pages. The cover is quarterbound with faux leather over cloth. Somehow we managed to keep it affordable too! Just $39.95. Look for it at your local bookstore this summer, or visit us at Comic Con in San Diego and you might be able to pick up a signed copy…

American Surreal Cover