from the Men in the City Series (Eric)

In 1975, Longo received his Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from State University College in Buffalo, New York. He has had solo exhibitions throughout the world, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Stededlijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. His works are represented in the permanent collections of a number of museums including the Tate Gallery in London, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Longo has also directed films and music videos including the popular movie, Johnny Mnemonic, and REM?s music video, The One I Love. This work, titled Eric from Longo?s Men in the City Series, challenges the viewer to decide if the subject is exuberant in his erratic movements or if he is traumatized by some unseen event taking place out of the spectator?s range. Longo is known for his large, theatrical figures which relate directly to the effect that television, billboards, and movies had on the artist during his childhood. This series began as a solo exhibition in 1981 at Metro Pictures in New York. The success of this exhibition brought Longo international attention.