ΔLΞC MONOPOLY “Park Place” Exhibition at LAB ART Gallery

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ALEC Monopoly at LAB ART

ΔLΞC Monopoly opened his first solo exhibition in LA, “Park Place,” March 14th, 2013, at street art gallery LAB Art. The show features 360 paintings spanning his career, including new paintings created exclusively for the show. ALEC Monopoly is renown for incorporating Monopoly Man, the Monopoly board game’s mascot, into his street art, paintings, and graffiti. This exhibition also features collaborations with Richard Corman, famed New York celebrity portrait photographer, and Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody. Hasbro Inc., the toy company, has been maintaining a high profile since creating a new “cat” game piece to replace the “iron.” Inspired by Hasbro’s new Monopoly game piece creation, ALEC Monopoly teamed up with Adrien Brody, who donated his $500,00 1964 Pontiac Catalina convertible specifically for the LAB Art “Park Place” exhibition. (Brody also bought $20,000 worth of ALEC Monopoly’s art, according to TMZ, as well donating a Rolls Royce for artist to use as a canvas.) Brody was on hand, along with Tara Reid, Jeremy Piven and Gregory Siff.

ALEC Monopoly’s art has come a long ways since tagging throughout the city. His work now blurs the line between corporate criticism and corporate sponsorship. Clad in Monopoly-themed clothing, black top hat, with a dark bandana concealing his identity, ALEC Monopoly was omnipresent as a living embodiment of his artwork. The artist consistently maintained an air of mysterious anonymity even while conversing and taking photos with the collectors and celebrities.

Subversively, ALEC Monopoly maintains a distance while simultaneously fitting into the wealthy Los Angeles art scene. Much of ALEC Monopoly’s work critiques human and corporate greed by reinterpreting the iconic board game, one that can only be won by forcing your opponent into bankruptcy. In an rare case of sanctioned appropriation, Hasbro, Inc. has condoned and supported ALEC Monopoly’s work. While producing the ALEC Monopoly show, LAB ART curator, Iskander Lemseffer, ran across an old friend who coincidentally was working for Hasbro, Inc. It seems Hasbro sees ALEC Monopoly as their own “Campbell’s Andy Warhol.” Further blurring art with commerce, ALEC Monopoly has plans to sell one of his paintings for a whopping $3 million…in Monopoly money. This might mark the first time that board game money has been used as legitimate currency in a legal business transaction!

ALEC Monopoly and photographer Richard Corman are currently collaborating on a world tour for W Hotels. The tour kicked-off last September, 2012, at the W Hotel in Mexico City. Corman, renown Madonna photographer from the early 1980’s, was extremely impressed with ALEC Monopoly’s graffiti and contacted W Hotels to find ALEC Monopoly. W Hotels made the connection and subsequently arranged a live tour sponsored by W Hotels, Vitamin Water, and Madonna’s longtime manager, Guy Oseary, through Oseary’s gallery (co-owned by concert super-promoters Live Nation), Rock Paper Photo Gallery. While the tour dates have yet to be set in stone, we know the pair will be performing at the W Hotels in Singapore, Paris, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and New York. For the tour,  Corman exhibits 14 of his Madonna portraits while ALEC Monopoly tags his street art directly onto both the hotel and Richard Corman’s Madonnas.

ALEC Monopoly’s “Park Place”
LAB ART Gallery, 217 S. La Brea Blvd.
Los Angeles,  CA 90026
(323) 933-1021
Open Tuesday-Saturday between the hours of 10 AM – 5 PM

ALEC Monopoly tagging the W Hotel in Mexico City

ALEC Monopoly tagging the W Hotel in Mexico City

ALEC Monopoly - Richard Corman at the W Hotel Mexico City. All the following W Hotel photos courtesy of mr-fame.com.

ALEC Monopoly – Richard Corman at the W Hotel Mexico City

ALEC Monopoly at the W Hotel in Mexico City as part of his world tour with Richard Corman

ALEC Monopoly at the W Hotel in Mexico City on tour with Richard Corman

ALEC Monopoly vs Richard Corman live painting presentation at the W Hotel in Mexico City

ALEC Monopoly vs Richard Corman live performance at the W Hotel in Mexico City

ALEC Monopoly "Park Place" Program

“Park Place” program

Campbell's

Campbell’s

ALEC Monopoly on the street graffiti. Monopoly Man, Burton Way and La Peer Dr

Monopoly Man street graffiti at Burton Way and La Peer Drive, Beverly Hills

Scar Face (color)

Scar Face (color)

Real Money

Real Money

1964 Pontiac Catalina - Adrien Brody and ALEC Monopoly

1964 Pontiac Catalina – Adrien Brody and ALEC Monopoly

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ALEC Monopoly’s Richie Rich Rolls

Investor Scrooge

Investor Scroodge

Alec Monopoly Lab Art March 2013

ALEC Monopoly disguised at his LAB Art Gallery Exhibition

"You Ain't Going Somewhere" and "Dancing Monopoly #2"

You Ain’t Going Somewhere and Dancing Monopoly #2

Heal The World

Heal The World

Moon Landing

Moon Landing

Tara Reid at ALEC Monopoly Preview

Tara Reid at ALEC Monopoly Preview, March 13, 2013

Picasso Monopoly Pink Top Hat

Picasso Monopoly Pink Top Hat

"Jack Glow"

Jack Glow

Opening night DJ's spin in front of a wall of Monopoly Men

Opening night: DJ Samantha Ronson spins in front of a wall of Monopoly Men

"Bureaucracy"

Bureaucracy

Madonna by Richard Corman and ALEC Monopoly

Madonna by Richard Corman and ALEC Monopoly

Keith by ALEC Monopoly and Richard Corman

Keith by ALEC Monopoly and Richard Corman

Sitting Madonna by ALEC Monopoly and Richard Corman

Sitting Madonna by ALEC Monopoly and Richard Corman

Richard Corman at ALEC Monopoly Exhibition, March 13, 2013

Richard Corman at ALEC Monopoly “Park Place” March 13, 2013

90's Memories

90’s Memories

Picasso Monopoly

Picasso Monopoly

American Psycho Glow

American Psycho Glow

A packed house at the ALEC Monopoly Exhibit Preview, Mar. 13, 2013

A packed house at LAB Art for the ALEC Monopoly  Park Place preview

Uh Oh Monopoly Glow & Eek Monopoly Glow

Uh Oh Monopoly Glow & Eek Monopoly Glow

Madonna Ribbed by ALEC Monopoly and Richard Corman

Madonna Ribbed by ALEC Monopoly and Richard Corman

Community Chest

Community Chest

1964 Pontiac Catalina - Adrien Brody and ALEC Monopoly

1964 Pontiac Catalina – Adrien Brody and ALEC Monopoly

ALEC Monopoly's Monopoly Man @ LAB Art, March 13, 2013

ALEC Monopoly’s Monopoly Man @ LAB Art

 

 

All photos by Alex Gordon, except LAB Arts building photo courtesy of LAB Arts, and W Hotel Mexico City photos courtesy of mr-fame.com.