Marquis Duriel Lewis, known professionally as Retna, is an American artist known for calligraphic murals.[1][2] Emerging from the Los Angeles graffiti scene in the 1990s, he developed a distinctive script fusing elements of Egyptian hieroglyphs, Arabic and Hebrew calligraphy, Gothic blackletter, and Chicano graffiti. His work has been featured on public walls, in gallery exhibitions, on operatic sets, and in collaborations with fashion houses.
RETNA | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marquis Lewis 24 March 1979 Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Known for | Calligraphy, graffiti art |
| Website | retna |
Early life and education
editRetna was born Marquis Duriel Lewis in Los Angeles in 1979. He grew up in the Mid-City neighborhood and has a mixed African-American, Pipil, Spanish, and Cherokee heritage.[3][4] As a teenager, he began painting with graffiti crews, including Art Work Rebels (AWR), Mad Society Kings (MSK), and The Seventh Letter. In 1996, he adopted the moniker “Retna” from a Wu-Tang Clan song lyric.[3][5]
Retna studied letterforms independently, influenced by medieval manuscripts, Art Nouveau, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.[6]
Career
editGraffiti and murals
editRetna's early work consisted of large-scale graffiti in Los Angeles. In 1999, he participated in his first gallery exhibition, Contemporary Corruption.[6] Throughout the 2000s, he became known for murals on buildings in Los Angeles, Miami's Wynwood district, New York City's Bowery/Houston Wall, and a 21-story tower in Mexico City.[4][7] His public commission for the West Hollywood Park Murals (2011), created with Shepard Fairey and Kenny Scharf, was later recognized by the Americans for the Arts Public Art Network Year in Review program.[8]
Retna is a member of The Seventh Letter collective. His notable collaborations include the 2010 mural Blessed Are The Meek with El Mac.[3] He has also completed murals for Coney Art Walls in Brooklyn and for street-art festivals.[9]
Later projects
editRetna has painted jets for VistaJet[10], designed scarves for Louis Vuitton, sneakers for Nike, and produced advertising campaigns for Chanel and Helmut Lang.[4][5] In 2015, he created the album cover artwork for Justin Bieber's album Purpose.[4][5] Collectors of his canvases include Kevin Huvane, Darren Star, Patrick Dempsey, and Usher.[11][1]
In 2007, RETNA collaborated with El Mac and Reyeson on the mural “La Reina del Sur” for Art Basel Miami Beach. He painted the façade of the Pasadena Museum of California Art in 2011 for the exhibition Street Cred: Graffiti Art from Concrete to Canvas, and completed the Houston Bowery mural in New York in 2012.[6] In 2018, he created a typographic mural for the Coney Art Walls project in New York.[6]
Retna continued to work internationally through the 2020s, designing murals for Mexico City's Reforma Avenue and for civic projects in Miami and Los Angeles.[6]
Gallery exhibitions and installations
editRetna's 2011 touring exhibition, The Hallelujah World Tour, showcased his work in Los Angeles and Miami.[10] In 2013, he mounted Para mi gente at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA). He presented solo shows at London's Maddox Gallery in 2017 and 2021.[4] Other exhibitions include La Cuenta Larga in Mexico City (2018) and Margraves (2017) and Love Letter | Carta de Amor at Madison Gallery in San Diego.[12][13]
In 2016, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco invited him to create a site-specific installation at the Legion of Honor for the exhibition The Future of the Past.[4] That same year, he designed monumental projections and backdrops for San Francisco Opera's and Washington National Opera's productions of Verdi's Aida.[4][5]
Art style
editRetna's art is centered on a unique script that combines Egyptian hieroglyphs, Arabic and Hebrew calligraphy, Gothic blackletter, and Los Angeles graffiti lettering.[3][14] The Economist described it as a fusion of "hieroglyphics, calligraphy and graffiti." His paintings often use a monochromatic palette, such as gold, black, and white.[1]
Retna has stated that his personal heritage informs this visual language and that the script is intended to "unify cultures." His influences include medieval manuscripts, Art Nouveau, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.[6]
Personal life
editRetna identifies with his multicultural heritage. He is married to Veronika Mudra-Lewis, a human rights advocate and the founder of White Ribbon USA.[14]
Awards and recognition
editThe West Hollywood Park Murals (2011), a collaboration with Shepard Fairey and Kenny Scharf, were selected by the Americans for the Arts Public Art Network Year in Review program.[8] His stage designs for Aida were noted by critics for bridging street art and opera. His paintings have been acquired by public and private collectors.[5]
References
edit- 1 2 3 "The Q&A: Retna, artist" – via The Economist.
- ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/this-legendary-street-artist-has-done-walls-shoes-and-bieber-albums-now-hes-trying-opera/2017/09/01/20f1bf6e-8c36-11e7-a2b0-e68cbf0b1f19_story.html
- 1 2 3 4 "RETNA: Between graffiti, spirituality, and illumination • ArtCritic".
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "RETNA: The star that keeps on rising | Barnebys Magazine". Barnebys.co.uk. 5 October 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Bravo, By Tony (11 November 2016). "Street artist Retna brings outlaw sensibility to Opera's Aida". San Francisco Chronicle.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Retna's Art For Sale, Exhibitions & Biography". ocula.com. 21 April 2026.
- ↑ YakasShare, Ben (4 March 2012). "Street Artist RETNA Does Houston/Bowery Mural". Gothamist.
- 1 2 https://www.weho.org/Home/Components/News/News/7823/23
- ↑ Kaplan, Isaac (20 August 2015). "7 Street Artists Not Named Banksy Making Headlines". Artsy.
- 1 2 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-02-14/graffiti-artist-trades-street-vandalism-for-bombardier-jet-gig?embedded-checkout=true
- ↑ Williams, Maxwell (10 June 2016). "Fashion, Graffiti and L.A.'s Street Art Scene: 8 Artists to Know".
- ↑ Shah, Anya (9 October 2025). "Madison Gallery hosts opening reception with RETNA".
- ↑ https://hypebeast.com/2017/10/retna-margraves-exhibit-interview
- 1 2 Vikilahle, Luthando. "How RETNA Marquis Lewis and Veronika Mudra Lewis are redefining art and love through creative collaboration". GQ.
External links
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