b. 1979 · Los Angeles, USA
Retna
Street Art · Painting · Calligraphy
Retna (b. 1979, born Marquis Lewis) is a Los Angeles-based artist whose distinctive calligraphic script — a fusion of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, Arabic, Hebrew, and Native American pictographs — has become one of the most recognizable visual languages in contemporary art. Beginning as a graffiti writer in the streets of East Los Angeles, Retna developed his script over decades of practice into a fully realized artistic system.
Retna's work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and galleries worldwide. He has collaborated with Justin Bieber, Pharrell Williams, and major luxury brands, and his canvases command significant prices at auction.
Works in Institutional Collections
Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles
The Broad, Los Angeles
