AZIZ and ART!

Check out friend to the gallery Aziz Ansari as he critiques fan art of his image including pieces from our "Is This Thing On?" show from Kirk Demarais and Ruel Pascual. Thanks to Complex for the credit!

We should do this show again in 2012...

Jensen

G1988 (Melrose)

NEW PRINT NOW AVAILABLE!

By clicking the picture above you can now purchase the beautiful new NC Winters giclee print, "Wisdom of the Llama." A lot of people have been asking when this one would drop, and the answer is NOW. It's 16 x 20 inches, hand signed and numbered by the artist and only in an edition of 76. It's printed on archival paper and is $76.

Don't miss out on this stunning print!

Jensen
G1988

PRINT RELEASE MONDAY!

Our most popular piece from January's "Is This Thing On?" show with FunnyOrDie gets the giclee print treatment, and will be available starting this Monday! A LOT of people have been asking about this one, so here it comes!



N.C. Winters
"Wisdom of the Lama"
16 x 20 inches
edition of 76, hand signed and numbered
$76.00

We'll post the link here when it's available, but keep the date in mind if you wanna get your hands on this one...

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

Set Recap

With all this excitement between the Scott C. success and the upcoming John Hughes tribute on Friday at G1988 (Venice), we didn't really have time to wrap up what was our biggest show ever at G1988, "Is This Thing On?"

What an insane exhibit! Thanks to everyone who was involved, especially our co-curators, Michael Rapaport and Chris Kurumada, and our friends at FunnyOrDie, who not only helped publicize the show, but also helped us produce the viral video that took everything to a very crazy place! If you haven't seen it yet, check it out by clicking HERE. We're approaching 200k views on FOD alone!



Some of the coolest days during "Is This Thing On?" is when comedians/funny people who were depicted on the walls actually stopped by to see the show. Here are some highlights...









And we had Neil Patrick Harris (he was in the SF Sketchfest Scott C piece) and Jeffrey Ross swing by too!

And the good news is...we're doing it again next year with FunnyOrDie! And this time, we might have some other friends involved too.

Fun times...

In the meanwhile, we have two NEW pieces to celebrate the close of "Is This Thing On?" - both are totally amazing.

First up, we have Ellen Schinderman's ode to "Arrested Development" in the form of a custom embroidered family pillow. This thing is so true to the show, it's incredible.



This pillow is only $300.00 and you can purchase it directly from our website by CLICKING HERE.

And secondly, Sarah Sae Soh has delivered a second piece, a beautiful companion to her Eddie Murphy "Coming To America" ode that sold during the exhibit. This one is a tribute to Steve Martin and his first film role in the "The Jerk."



It's called "Stay Away From The Cans!!" is 8 x 10 inches, acrylic and gouache framed and only $275.00. You can purchase this piece directly from our website by CLICKING HERE.

We're also currently getting ready to release a print set from Sarah, that will include both this Steve Martin image AND the Eddie Murphy one. So that's awesome.

Adios Comedians Show. Till next year.

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

LIVE FROM THE LINES (and stuff)

Bobby Bottleservice signing the limited edition screenprints! He's offended the former TV show Las Vegas, Pauly the Octopus, Jews, one man's wife, Ted Nugent and t-shirts with dragons.

Stop by between 6-8 PM tonight at G1988 (Melrose). We will have vokka. Free prints. Free shirts. Free things. Free Snooki.

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

COMEDY FOR YOU

To promote "Is This Thing On?" over here at Gallery1988 (Melrose), we teamed up with FunnyOrDie.com, and produced a video starring Michael Cera, Martin Starr, Tony Danza and Nick Kroll. It's actually my first sketch I've written for FunnyOrDie. WARNING: Like almost everything I've ever written, it is NOT SAFE FOR WORK. There's your warning. Anyway, check it out, it was a n honor to make.

Bromance w/ Michael Cera, Tony Danza & Martin Starr from Michael Cera

And if that didn't make you laugh (I won't be offended), you for sure will this Friday at Gallery1988 (Melrose) when Bobby Bottleservice (Nick Kroll) stops by from 12-2 PM and 6-8PM (we added 6-8 PM now for more hours of power after your work!). Bobby will be there to promote Nick Kroll's upcoming Comedy Central special "Thank You Very Cool," premiering January 29th and talk to you about jet skis, mansions, Ed Hardy, dragon tattoos and success in general. Stop by and get a free VERY LIMITED Bobby Bottleservice silkscreen signed by Bobby and Nick (and maybe more surprises). This is a meet & greet you can not miss!



And if you don't like in Los Angeles, but you live in New York or Las Vegas, you'll get your own chance to meet Bobby too! Just stay tuned to this blog or follow Bobby on Twitter at @akaBobbyB for the info coming soon!

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

ARTWORK POSTED AND AVAILABLE

Here is all the work in "Is This Thing On?" - viewable and available for purchase.

PRINTS - CLICK HERE.

ORIGINALS - CLICK HERE.

Soon Though

Artwork almost fully uploaded to the site, so you can see the show and purchase!

What an amazing turnout last night. We're too busy to even post pics yet, or find anything online about the show, but we want to thank EVERYONE who came out to "Is This Thing On?" last night, making it one of our busiest shows ever (which is saying something!). Shouts to FunnyOrDie.com, and their whole staff, for all the help and love they gave this exhibit. And thanks to funny people Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, Brody Stevens, Dan Levy, Lake Bell, Jerry O'Connell, Scott Aukerman, Jonah Ray, Brandon Johnson, Owen Burke, Rob Huebell, June Raphael, Kulap Vilaysack and Brett Gelman for coming through and celebrating comedy with us.

Our friends at NBC LA posted about the show yesterday -



You can read that by CLICKING HERE.

Ok, back to cleaning/uploading/taking inventory/drinking Red Bulls. Again, look for a post within about an hour that will link you to the original art and prints for "Is This Thing On?"

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

LAST FUNNY OR DIE PREVIEW

Tonight's da night, dude. 7-11 PM - The work is hung. It all looks incredible.

We had our last [review at FunnyOrDie.com - so I figured I'd share it with you.



Jeff Boyes takes his shots at Clark Griswald (a.k.a. Chevy Chase). One of my favorite screenprints we've ever carried. This will be a hot ticket.



Travis Louie gives the one eye treatment to Brian Posehn. AMAZING.



Judd Apatow x Star Trek x Casey Weldon = genius.

DO NOT MISS OUT TONIGHT. I'll ridicule you if you do.

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

Some last minute love...

The eve before "Is This Thing On?" and we couldn't be more excited. Some of the surprises we're working out for not only opening night, but opening week - are amazing. CAN NOT WAIT.

The Examiner just put up a cool story (with the final FunnyOrDie preview coming out tomorrow afternoon.



You can read that article by CLICKING HERE.

And you may not know about my night hobby - but if you're into hip-hop, you'll dig it. It's a weekly podcast called Hypemen, where myself, and brothers Jeff and Eric Rosenthal from ItsTheReal.com, dissect obscure hip-hop and its history with a guest from the world of rap music or comedy. Past guests have included super producer Just Blaze, SNL cast member Bobby Moynihan, rapper Freddie Gibbs, former bassist of Fall Out Boy Pete Wentz and comedian Hannibal Burress. We've been doing it for about 6 months and you can listen to all our past episodes (updated every Wednesday) at Hypemen.tumblr.com or on iTunes. CRAZIEST part??? We were mentioned in Rolling Stones' top 10 Things To Watch in 2011 Comedy this week and had a feature in Village Voice!!



You can read that article by CLICKING HERE.

Nice little gallery mention, so wanted to share. And if you like hip-hop and comedy - this podcast is for you. And hopefully, we can get a new listener!

In the meanwhile.....COME TO THE MELROSE GALLERY TOMORROW! 7-11 PM. I PROMISE YOU A FUN TIME and a lot of the people you find funny - just might be there. ;) That's emoticon for wink.

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

Another Set

Our homies at FunnyOrDie.com debuted two new pieces for "Is This Thing On?" our show that opens this Friday night with an opening reception from 7-11 PM. It's the Melrose location, and I promise, it's an amazing show. Trust my promises.

One piece unveiled today was from Mike Mitchell and depicts everyone's favorite 2010 MVP, Zach Galifianakis.



This one is going to be super limited, so don't sleep. (Although Zach is narcoleptic, that was not a pun).

Next up, Drake Brodhal gives us his take on your favorite comedian's favorite comedian, Gilbert Gottfried.



An homage to Gilbert's turn in the DIsney movie "Aladdin," this one might be one of my favorites. Crazy to think Gilbert did a DIsney movie if you've ever heard his act...or him roasting...or him on Howard Stern.

Only 2 days away....hope to see you here!

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

THE BILL

As we edge closer and closer to this Friday's opening of "Is This Thing On?" - it's time to announce the artist line-up for the group show and announce exactly which comedians the artists are portraying. So here we go...

Alan Hynes vs Chris Farley
Alex Leighton vs Will Ferrel & Richard Pryor
Alex Pardee vs Don Rickles
Allison Reimold vs Paul Reubens
Andrew DeGraff vs Tim & Eric
Andrew Wilson vs Nick Kroll & Demetri Martin
Augie Pagan vs Chris Rock
Ayami Kawashima vs Whitney Cummings
Becky Dreistadt vs Jon Lovitz
Billy Perkins vs Sam Kinison
Brandon Schaefer vs Bill Murray & Woody Allen
Brandon Sopinsky vs Colin Quinn
Brad Klaussen vs Bill Hicks
Carlos Ramos vs Howard Stern
Casey Weldon vs Judd Apatow, Chris Hardwick, Marc Maron & Scott Auckerman
Chan Koak vs David Spade
Chet Zar vs Andy Dick
Chris Sanchez vs Lenny Bruce
Craig Parillo vs Adam Sandler, Don Rickles & Chris Farley
Daisy Church vs Amy Sedaris & Lisa Lampanelli
Danielle Buerli vs David Cross
Danielle Rizzolo vs Chris Farley
Dave MacDowell vs Richard Pryor
Dave Perillo vs Andy Kaufman
Dean Yasutake vs Christopger Guest
Delicious Design League vs Mr. Show
Derek Deal vs Rob Corddry and Children's Hospital
Drake Brodahl vs Gilbert Gottfried
Ellen Schinderman vs Jeffrey Ross
Eric Braddock vs Bill Cosby & Bobcat Goldthwait
Eric Tan vs Tracy Morgan
Erica Gibson vs Roseanne
Fred Harper vs Patton Oswalt & Dave Attell
Gabe Lanza vs Mr. Show
Glen Brogan vs David Wain and Wet Hot American Summer
Ibraheem Youssef vs Will Ferrel & Will Forte
Ian Glaubinger vs John Candy
Irma Rivera vs Lilly Tomlin
Israel Sanchez vs Phil Hartman
Jason D'Aquino vs John Belushi & Mel Brooks and Young Frankenstein
Jeff Boyes vs Chevy Chase
Jeff Proctor vs Louis CK
Jeff Ramirez vs Norm MacDonald
Jen Rarey vs Flight of the Conchords
Jeremiah Ketner vs Jim Carrey
Jeremy Tinder vs Andy Kaufman
Jim Mahfood vs Reggie Watts
Jon Smith vs Is This Thing On?
Josh Cooley vs Steve Martin & Larry David
Johnny Sampson vs Rodney Dangerfield
Jude Buffum vs Mitch Hedberg
Julian Callos vs Ellen DeGenerous
Julie Bolene vs Margaret Cho
Justin Parpan vs Steven Wright
Ken Garduno vs Conan O'Brien & David Letterman
Ken Keirns vs Richard Lewis
Kenny Harris vs George Carlin & UCB Theater LA
Kevin Tong vs Conan O'Brien
Kiersten Essenpreis vs Steve Martin
Kim Herbst vs Upright Citizen Brigade
Kirk Demarais vs Human Giant
Lauren Gregg vs Sasha Baron Cohen & Gallagher
Lawrence Yang vs Dana Carvey
Little Friends of Printmaking vs Will Ferrel
Mark Wesler vs Jon Stewart and The Daily Show & Danny McBride
Methane Studios vs Tim & Eric
Michael Steele vs Carrot Top
Misha vs Greg Giraldo & Donald Glover
Mike Mitchell vs Zach Galifiankis
Mylan Nguyen vs Charlene Yi
N.C. Winters vs Bill Murray
Nathan Stapley vs George Carlin
Netherland vs Andrew "Dice" Clay
Nicole Gustaffson vs Chris Elliot
Nigel Sanders vs Jon Lovitz
Nimit Malavia vs Artie Lange
Paul Palcko vs Doug Benson, Jon Belushi & Redd Foxx
Pedro Delgado vs Ben Stiller
Rich Pelligrino vs Ricky Gervais & Steven Wright
Ryan Jones vs Dave Chapelle
Rudy Fig vs Chelsea Handler
Ruel Pascual vs Aziz Ansari
Sam Smith vs Woody Allen
Sarah Soh vs Eddie Murphy
Scott Campbell vs SF Sketchfest
Scott Derby vs Cheech & Chong
Sean Clarity vs Mitch Hedberg
Stella Hultberg vs Sarah Silverman
Stephanie Buscema vs Andrew "Dice" Clay & Stella
Tara McPherson vs Sarah Silverman
Task One vs Andy Kaufman
Todd Slater vs Steve Martin
Tom Haubrick vs Jerry Seinfeld
Tom Whalen vs Robin Williams
Travis Louie vs Brian Posehn
Tripper Dungan vs David Cross
Tristan Eaton vs Charlie Murphy
Victoria Hebard vs Kids In The Hall
Wade Schin vs Steve Martin

If you're not excited by that list - you have no sense of humor. And no one wants to be that person.

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

NEW YEAR, NEW COMEDIANS

Our pals over at FunnyOrDie.com have debuted two new paintings that will be featured in "Is This Thing On?" which opens January 7th at G1988 (Melrose). These two are absolutely incredible....

NC Winters takes a shot at Bill Murray, as his classic Caddyshack character, and succeeds amazingly. nananananananana.



Kirk Demarais revisits his epic portrait series, now depicting the Human Giant comedy team of Rob Huebell, Aziz Ansari and Paul Scheer. Some brought more clothing to party than others.



Again, do not forget about this show. It opens January 7th, with an opening reception from 7-11 PM. Look for more surprises this week, and the night of the opening!

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

X-MAS EVE

Just some quick programming notes...

The San Francisco Gallery is now closed as we transition the gallery's new location in Venice Beach, which will open on Jan. 15th. Just letting you know.

The Melrose location will be open Christmas Eve, from 11-3 PM. So if you need a last minute gift...we're here. But after that, we'll be closed until Jan. 7th, the night we open "Is This Thing On?" with FunnyOrDie.com.

We debuted two new pieces over at FunnyOrDie yesterday, did you see them?

Josh Cooley, making his G1988 debut, gives us his Golden Book spin on the Steve Martin's classic "The Jerk." Wait till you see how he framed one of them too.



Misha takes on a genius we lost way too early, Greg Giraldo. Love this piece too, as it gets across the gentle aspects to a man who could roast with the best ever.



CAN NOT WAIT FOR THIS SHOW. Starting the new year off with a bang.

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

Sneak 2 - FOD

As we approach Christmas, our friends at FunnyOrDie.com posted 2 more previews of pieces from the upcoming show, ""Is This Thing On?," which opens on January 7th. In case you don't know, this show will feature over 100 artists all painting portraits and tributes to our favorite funny people. Today FunnyOrDie gives you Misha's Greg Giraldo (RIP) portrait and Josh Cooley's storybook depiction of the classic scene in Steve Martin's "The Jerk." YOU CAN SEE THESE PIECES BY CLICKING HERE.

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

1st group of artists for "Is This Thing On?'

Thanks to the show's co-curator Chris Kurumada for creating this 1st of a few videos where we announce some of the artists in the show that opens Jan. 7th. The video also tells you what comedians some of the artists are doing...so watch it!



Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

Did you miss this....

After announcing the next show for Gallery1988 (Melrose), opening January 7th, we worked with our homies at FunnyOrDie.com to debut two pieces from the show...

Jeff Proctor's screenprint of Louis C.K.



Alex Leighton's Will Ferrell sculpture



"Is This Thing On?" will feature over 100 artists creating portraits of your favorite funny people. Next week you'll see more previews exclusively over at FunnyOrDie.com and we'll be posting the full artist list, showing you exactly which artists will be painting which comedians! This show is co-curated by Gallery1988, Michael Rapaport and Chris Kurumada.

Have a great weekend and laugh!

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)

GALLERY1988 & FUNNY OR DIE PRESENT...

We couldn't be more excited to announce, "Is This Thing On?," our next exhibit at Gallery1988 (Melrose). It opens January 7th, and feature over 100 artists creating portraits and pieces based on your favorite funny people from yesteryear and today. With our friends at FunnyOrDie.com, we'll be revealing pieces right up the opening reception...



You can learn more about the show, and see Jeff Proctor's Louie CK screenprint and Alex Leighton's Will Ferrell sculpture, by CLICKING HERE and visiting our exclusive press partner for the show, Funny Or DIe.

More info on this show soon, including the list of artists, and the comedians they'll be portraying. This is going to be one exciting show! And don't be shocked to see many of the people portrayed, walking around in the gallery with you.

Jensen
G1988 (Melrose)