Todd Gray (artist) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Todd Gray
Gray in 2012
Born	1954 Los Angeles, California
Nationality	American
Alma mater	California Institute of the Arts
Known for	Photo, performance, sculpture, installation

Todd Gray (born in 1954) is a modern artist. He creates art using photography, performances, and sculptures. He lives and works in Los Angeles, California, and Akwidaa, Ghana.

Experts say his art uses well-known symbols. It also explores his own thoughts and ideas about society. Todd Gray sees himself as an artist and an activist. He uses his art to talk about important topics. These include race, social classes, gender, and colonialism. He wants his art to make people think about these ideas. He challenges viewers by what he shows and what he leaves out.

Early Life and Education

Todd Gray was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1954. He studied art at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). He earned two degrees from CalArts, one in 1979 and another in 1989.

Working with Music Stars

Gray first became interested in photography in high school. In the early 1970s, he started working as a photographer for music artists. He took pictures of famous rock and R&B groups. These included the Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, and Gladys Knight.

Gray shot his first album cover when he was just 17. He continued this work through the 1970s. This helped him pay for college and art school. So far, Gray has photographed over 100 album covers.

Becoming Michael Jackson's Photographer

After finishing his art degree, Michael Jackson asked Gray to be his personal photographer. Gray worked with Michael Jackson from 1979 to 1983. This was during the time Jackson released his famous albums, Off the Wall and Thriller.

Michael Jackson's manager said Michael liked Todd because he didn't talk much. Gray said Jackson was very careful about how the media showed him. Jackson knew that a photo caption could change how people saw him. He checked every photo Gray took. Only the pictures he approved were shared with the public.

Gray's art was greatly shaped by Michael Jackson's ideas. He still uses photos of Jackson in his artwork today. His art often features many layers of frames. These frames show only parts of Jackson, like a hand or his jacket. This makes Jackson seem like a powerful, almost magical, being. These pictures are often shown with newer photos of nature or rooms. Many of these newer photos are taken in Ghana.

Art Shows and Exhibitions

Todd Gray has shown his art in many places. Some of these include the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. He has also shown his work at the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York. Other places include the USC Fisher Museum of Art and the California African American Museum.

In 2016, Gray had an exhibition called A Place That Looks Like Home. For this show, he used old photos from his own collection. These photos covered over 40 years of his work. They showed him as a photographer, sculptor, and performance artist.

In 2017, Gray had a show at the Museum of the African Diaspora. Here, he explored Michael Jackson's story. He looked at it through the idea of "mental colonialism." Also in 2017, Gray created Pluralities of Being. This was shown at the Gallery MOMO in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was Gray's first solo show in South Africa. The art in this show was made during his time at the NIROX Foundation's sculpture park. Pluralities of Being was later shown at the Palm Springs Art Museum.

In 2018, Gray's art was part of a show called Michael Jackson: On the Wall. This was at the National Portrait Gallery in London. In 2019, Gray was chosen to be in the Whitney Museum of American Art's Biennial. His recent work, Cartesian Gris Gris, explores the effects of European colonialism in Africa. This collection was shown at the David Lewis Gallery in New York City.

In 2019, Gray's art was also displayed at the Pomona College Museum of Art. This show included his piece, "Euclidean Gris Gris."

Gray also did a unique exhibition in 2016. It was part of the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. For a whole year, Gray wore the clothes of Ray Manzarek. Manzarek was a friend of Gray's and a founding member of the band The Doors. To see this "exhibition," you had to meet Gray himself during those months.

Art in Collections

Todd Gray's art is kept in several important public collections. These include:

• The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York
• The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
• The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
• The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
• The University of Connecticut, Hartford
• The California Community Foundation, Los Angeles
• The University of Parma, Italy

Other Works

On October 21, 2009, Todd Gray published a book. It is called Michael Jackson: Before He Was King. This book features rare photos of the famous singer.

External sources

• Todd Gray Art