Bridget Everett and Larry Krone (photo by Todd Oldham via The Broadway Blog).
As part of Joe’s Pub at The Public’s new artist-in-residence initiative, artist/entertainer Larry Krone will premiere a selection of photos from his forthcoming art book, LOOK BOOK. The book showcases the inspired creations of Larry Krone BRAND and the House of Larréon in photos by designer and photographer Todd Oldham. Running in conjunction with The Public Theater’s 2014-15 season presentation of Bridget Everett’s Rock Bottom, the exhibition will be on view from September 2-25 on The Public Theater’s Philip and Janice Levin Foundation Mezzanine. There will be an opening night party on Tuesday, September 2 at 5:30 p.m.
The House of Larréon was born in 2010 when Krone joined forces with his friend and muse, alt-cabaret superstar Bridget Everett. His mission was to create gowns that would thrill Everett’s audiences while underscoring her identity as a supremely powerful woman, fearless in body and soul. Before all this, inspired by the contradictory yet fundamental relationship between showmanship and authenticity in mainstream country music, Krone introduced Larry Krone BRAND in 1997 with Western costumes he made for his Larry Krone and Family shows.
Todd Oldham brings his trademark vision of vibrant, uncomfortable beauty to the main photos of LOOK BOOK, which are accompanied by photos by acclaimed concert photographer Kevin Yatarola and snapshots taken by Krone. LOOK BOOK’s primary model for House of Larréon is Everett, while Krone models his own Larry Krone BRAND Western wear. Other models in the book include Jim Andralis, Becca Blackwell, Kathleen Hanna, Erin Markey, Neal Medlyn, Adrienne Truscott and more.
The Joe’s Pub artist commitment takes a different shape with Krone’s exhibition. Shanta Thake, director of Joe’s Pub at The Public, said, “Larry’s work, on stage, as a visual artist and as a costume designer at Joe’s Pub has elevated and enhanced the work of so many performers. I have watched his constantly surprising and evolving collaborations flourish over the years on and off the stage. We feel passionate about supporting his work in this way so it can continue to grow and enrich our arts community.”
Framed exhibition photos will be available for sale by silent auction (details are to be announced). Funds from the auction will go toward the production of the book, which is slated for release in 2015. Some proceeds from book sales will benefit the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls.
Bridget Everett’s Rock Bottomwill have its world premiere as part of The Public’s 2014-15 season. Created by Everett with Tony Award-winning songwriting duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz and Matt Ray, Rock Bottom runs September 9 – October 11 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. Tickets are available now.
Larry Krone, born in Chicago and raised in St. Louis, is a New York-based artist, performer and designer. He has been exhibiting his drawings, sculptures, installations and videos since the early 1990s, most recently at Pierogi (Brooklyn) with an accompanying performance at Joe’s Pub. His work has been seen at the Contemporary Baltimore, the Museum of Contemporary Craft (in conjunction with PICA), the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Philip Morris Branch (New York), New Museum, the Drawing Center and the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis, which presented Larry Krone: Artist/Entertainer, a 10-year retrospective of Krone’s visual and performance work in 2006.
Krone’s costume design and fabrication for his own performances has led to the creation of House of Larréon, his line of custom gowns and stage costumes, outfitting cabaret performers, dancers and rock singers including Bridget Everett, Neal Medlyn, Adrienne Truscott and Kathleen Hanna.
As a performer, Krone has appeared at music and art venues in New York including Joe’s Pub, La MaMa, Dixon Place, PS 122, Starlight Bar & Lounge, and the Whitney Museum of American Art as well as Mercer Union (Toronto), Croxhapox (Gent), Blueberry Hill (St. Louis), Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Better Days Project (Hamburg), and Someday Lounge (Portland, OR). Krone is a 2014 Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Governor’s Island resident, a 2013 Millay Colony fellow, a 2011 and 2012 MacDowell Colony fellow and a New York Foundation for the Arts 2009 fellow.
