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Gluglio Cronk Nicandro Gronk Sold at Auction Prices

b. 1954 -

Gronk (born 1954[1] in East Los Angeles, California, USA) is the pseudonym of Chicano painter, printmaker, and performance artist Glugio Nicandro.[2] His work is collected by museums around the country including the Smithsonian American Art Museum.[3]

Biography

Gronk was born in Los Angeles to Mexican-American parents and was raised mainly by his mother.[2] He remembers that he was always making things and he felt that was what he was best at.[2] He also remembers being influenced by popular culture on television.[2] Another artistic influence on Gronk was his uncle who was always drawing and Gronk wanted to be able to draw like him.[2]

Another influence on Gronk was foreign film which he generally watched in Santa Monica.[2] He was fascinated with the larger world and concepts that many of these films from Russia, France and elsewhere brought to his imagination.[2] At age fourteen, Gronk started writing his own plays.[2]

One of his earliest performance plays was Cockroaches Have No Friends, which led to him meeting Patssi Valdez, Harry Gamboa, Jr, Willie Herron and Sylvia Delgado, with the first three of them becoming members of Asco later on.[2] Gronk also worked with Mundo Meza and Cyclona on various performance pieces, especially those that pertained to gender issues.[4]

Gronk took his education beyond what he learned in school. He was a big reader from a young age and liked to learn everything he could about a subject he was interested in.[2] He did much of his research at the library, gaining a vast knowledge of European modern art and film.[5] Gronk recalls that in high school that he did not fit into "the confines of compulsory heterosexuality."[6] He states that he sat at the 'queer table' at lunch[6] but because he was an excellent artist, students at the school didn't consider him to be gay.[2] Bored with High School and stimulated into political action by the anti-Vietnam War and the Chicano Blowouts at East Los Angeles schools,[7] Gronk and friends barely attended their final years in school, and may not have graduated. He took some classes at East L.A. College.[2]

When Gronk performed Cockroaches Have No Friends at East L.A. College, it was a disaster, but afterwards, Gamboa contacted Gronk and invited him to work on a magazine project called Regeneracion with Valdez and Herron.[2] Working on the magazine, they drew together in garages owned by Valdez' and Herron's mothers.[2] This work on the magazine led to the creation of Asco.[2]

During the Vietnam War, Gronk was drafted and went to boot camp at Fort Ord for a period of around two weeks.[2] He was unable to conform, according to the army and he was sent back home.[2]
Career and Art

Gronk was a founding member of Asco, a multi-media arts collective based in Los Angeles which was active in the 1970s and 1980s.[8] Influenced by European film, existentialism, and literature—especially the work of Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre,[2] and Samuel Beckett.[9] Gronk as a member of ASCO made "movies without film" and farcical "happenings" or street performances.[5]

In 1977, Gronk was one of the founders of Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE).[10] Gronk's involvement with LACE often involved his creation and execution of murals, many of which were considered controversial.[10] Indeed, other artists criticized ASCO and Gronk for being too nontraditional.[11] Gronk often clashed with founder of East LA's Self Help Graphics, Sister Karen Boccalero, who he called "the smoking nun."[12]

Gronk has not always sought to bring his art to just those who regularly visit galleries: he has circulated fliers about his work at "bus stops, seeking workers, students and the people of the streets."[10] Gronk uses his "lowbrow" style to confront the viewer and ask them to rethink "visual paradigms," using humor and irony to make his statements.[13] One of his most visible challenges to the status quo took place as a member of ASCO when he, and co-members Harry Gamboa and Willie Herron, tagged their names on the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) after being told that LACMA didn't collect Chicano art because it wasn't "fine art."[14]

After 1984, Gronk began a series of paintings that included one of his recurring figures, La Tormenta who functions like a guide through his art.[15] This body of work was considered more "acceptable" to the mainstream world of art.[15]

He is best known for his murals,[16] including those at Estrada Courts in East Los Angeles. More recently his murals have been intentionally painted as temporary art works (i.e., Fisher Gallery, University of Southern California) to be whitewashed later.

Gronk's murals, paintings on canvas, and widely collected screen prints, relate to the direct visual aesthetic contained in works by German Expressionist Max Beckmann and the cartoon-like paintings of American Phillip Guston, along with vernacular arts of early civilizations (i.e., Toltec figurines). Gronk has collaborated with Tandem Press. His work is represented by Daniel Saxon of Saxon Gallery, West Hollywood, California. Gronk is accessible to students and others, often seen walking in Downtown Los Angeles. Comfortable with the moniker "Chicano artist", Gronk's intense devotion to craft and multi-disciplinary pursuits are informed by a wide knowledge from a myriad of global and historic sources.

Gronk has been involved with theater since his Asco days, and in 1995 he was commissioned to design sets for the Los Angeles Opera[15] and Santa Fe Opera.[17] His scenic work has also been featured onstage with Latino Theater Company and East West Players.

In 1996, Gronk won a Los Angeles Dramalogue Award for Set design of the Theatrical play of "La Chunga". He has collaborated with composer Joseph Julian Gonzalez on “Tormenta Cantada,” a visual/musical piece performed in 1995, and with Kronos Quartet at University of California, Los Angeles. In 2003, Gronk was in residency at University of New Mexico, as part of the Cultural Practice/Virtual Styles project.[18] In 2011, he was Artist-in-Residence at Fullerton College.[19] That same year, his work was exhibited in the retrospective ASCO: Elite of the Obscure at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the same venue that where Asco famously left its graffiti "tag" decades earlier in protest against the official Chicano art of "Los Four."[20] He also curated "Altares", a small exhibition at UCLA's Hammer Museum.

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    • GRONK (GLUGIO) NICANDRO (1954-) Illustrated "Candidates" Statements.
      Aug. 22, 2024

      GRONK (GLUGIO) NICANDRO (1954-) Illustrated "Candidates" Statements.

      Est: $600 - $900

      GRONK (GLUGIO) NICANDRO (1954-) Illustrated "Candidates" Statements. Pen on a octavo poltical flyer. 203x139 mm; 8x5½ inches. Signed in ink, lower right. 1978. Provenance: acquired directly from the artist, private collection, California.

      Swann Auction Galleries
    • GRONK (GLUGIO) NICANDRO (1954-) Nada.
      Aug. 22, 2024

      GRONK (GLUGIO) NICANDRO (1954-) Nada.

      Est: $800 - $1,200

      GRONK (GLUGIO) NICANDRO (1954-) Nada. Color pen and inks on linen handkerchief. 381x419 mm; 15x16½ inches. Signed and dated in ink, lower right. 1977. Provenance: acquired directly from the artist, private collection, California. Gronk (Glugio Gronk Nicandro) is a Los Angeles-based performance artist and painter. He uses thick layers of intensely colored acrylic paint to create expansive, expressionistic images. His symbols and characters emanate less from waking life than from the unconscious zone where visions and nightmares take shape. Gronk was a founding member of ASCO, a multi-media arts collective based in Los Angeles which was active in the 1970s and 1980s. Influenced by European film, existentialism, and literature—especially the work of Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Samuel Beckett. Gronk as a member of ASCO made "movies without film" and farcical "happenings" or street performances. In 1977, Gronk was one of the founders of Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE). Gronk's involvement with LACE often involved his creation and execution of murals, many of which were considered controversial. Indeed, other artists criticized ASCO and Gronk for being too nontraditional. Gronk often clashed with founder of East LA's Self Help Graphics, Sister Karen Boccalero, who he called "the smoking nun." Gronk has not always sought to bring his art to just those who regularly visit galleries: he has circulated fliers about his work at "bus stops, seeking workers, students and the people of the streets." Gronk uses his "lowbrow" style to confront the viewer and ask them to rethink "visual paradigms," using humor and irony to make his statements. One of his most visible challenges to the status quo took place as a member of ASCO when he, and co-members Harry Gamboa and Willie Herron, tagged their names on the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) after being told that LACMA didn't collect Chicano art because it wasn't "fine art."

      Swann Auction Galleries
    • Gronk Nicandro, (b. 1954, American), "La Tormenta," 1994, Woodcut in colors on German etching paper under Plexiglas, Image/Sheet: 29.62
      Jul. 19, 2022

      Gronk Nicandro, (b. 1954, American), "La Tormenta," 1994, Woodcut in colors on German etching paper under Plexiglas, Image/Sheet: 29.62

      Est: $300 - $500

      Gronk Nicandro (b. 1954, American) "La Tormenta," 1994 Woodcut in colors on German etching paper under Plexiglas Edition 29/30 Faintly signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil in the image along the lower sheet edge: Gronk; Tandem Press, Madison, WI, pub. and with their blindstamp Image/Sheet: 29.625" H x 29.625" W Provenance: Property of an Estate, Beverly Hills, CA Notes: The artist's full name is Glugio Gronk Nicandro, however, he prefers to use only his middle name,"Gronk." This lot is accompanied by a copy of a "print documentation" sheet, presumably issued by Tandem Press, signed by the artist on April 7, 1994. This document states that the edition was 40, and erroneously states that this impression is numbered 29/40.

      John Moran Auctioneers
    • GLUGLIO CRONK NICANDRO GRONK (B. 1954): "THE MAN WITHOUT DESIRE"
      Mar. 24, 2022

      GLUGLIO CRONK NICANDRO GRONK (B. 1954): "THE MAN WITHOUT DESIRE"

      Est: $800 - $1,200

      1988; acrylic on canvas; signed and dated verso; titled to label verso; Provenance: with gallery label verso; 72 x 60 inches; 73 1/2 x 61 1/2 inches frame

      Abell Auction
    • GLUGLIO GRONK (B. 1954): "LEAVE YOU LIPS AT THE DOOR"
      Oct. 03, 2021

      GLUGLIO GRONK (B. 1954): "LEAVE YOU LIPS AT THE DOOR"

      Est: $3,000 - $5,000

      1992; oil on canvas; signed, dated and titled to canvas verso; 78 1/4 x 48 1/4 inches unframed

      Abell Auction
    • Gronk Nicandro (American, b. 1954), "Fertile Landscape"
      May. 19, 2019

      Gronk Nicandro (American, b. 1954), "Fertile Landscape"

      Est: $1,000 - $1,500

      Gronk Nicandro (American, b. 1954) "Fertile Landscape", 1996 and "Salad Days", 1998 color woodcuts on handmade paper pencil-signed and dated lower right. Glazed, float-mounted and framed. 24" x 24", framed 33-1/2" x 33-1/2"

      New Orleans Auction Galleries
    • Watercolor, Gronk
      Aug. 12, 2017

      Watercolor, Gronk

      Est: $100 - $200

      Gronk (Gluglio Cronk Nicandro Gronk) (American, b. 1954), "Elevator at the Top of the World #9," 2004, watercolor and ink on paper, signed and dated lower right, gallery label (Daniel Saxon Gallery, Los Angeles, California) affixed verso, overall (with frame): 13.25"h x 16.25"w

      Clars Auctions
    • Print, Gronk
      Jul. 16, 2017

      Print, Gronk

      Est: $500 - $700

      Gronk (Gluglio Cronk Nicandro Gronk) (American, b. 1954), "Scarlet and Cup" from the "Invasion of the Dixie (Cup) Series," 1990, lithograph in colors, pencil signed lower right, titled lower center, edition 43/50, sight: 53.5"h x 37.5"w, overall (with frame): 58"h x 42"w

      Clars Auctions
    • Mixed Media, Gluglio Cronk Nicandro Gronk
      Apr. 16, 2016

      Mixed Media, Gluglio Cronk Nicandro Gronk

      Est: $100 - $200

      Gluglio Cronk Nicandro Gronk (American, b. 1954), Brothers, 2005, mixed media on paper, pencil signed and dated lower right, sight: 6.5"h x 9.5"w, overall (with frame): 13.25"h x 16.25"w

      Clars Auctions
    • Painting, Gronk
      Mar. 20, 2016

      Painting, Gronk

      Est: $400 - $600

      Gluglio Cronk Nicandro Gronk (American, b. 1954), Brothers, 2005, mixed media on paper, pencil signed and dated lower right, sight: 6.5"h x 9.5"w, overall (with frame): 13.25"h x 16.25"w

      Clars Auctions
    • Painting, Gluglio Cronk Nicandro Gronk
      Feb. 21, 2016

      Painting, Gluglio Cronk Nicandro Gronk

      Est: $1,000 - $2,000

      Gluglio Cronk Nicandro Gronk (American, b. 1954) Untitled, mixed media on paper, sight: 18.5"h x 18"w, overall (with frame): 27.75"h x 26"w

      Clars Auctions
    • Painting, Gronk
      Feb. 21, 2016

      Painting, Gronk

      Est: $700 - $1,000

      Gluglio Cronk Nicandro Gronk (American, b. 1954), Brothers, 2005, mixed media on paper, pencil signed and dated lower right, sight: 6.5"h x 9.5"w, overall (with frame): 13.25"h x 16.25"w

      Clars Auctions
    • Signed 1997 Gronk West High School Fine Arts Week Offset Lithograph
      Jan. 21, 2014

      Signed 1997 Gronk West High School Fine Arts Week Offset Lithograph

      Est: $50 - $75

      Artist Name: Gronk Title: West High School Fine Arts Week Medium: Offset Lithograph Edition Size: Unknown Year: 1997 Paper Size: 29 x 20 inches Image Size: 29 x 20 inches Condition: A-: Near Mint, very light signs of handling Notes: Signed in Blue Felt Pen.

      DUMBO Auctions
    • Etching, Gronk, Abstract Figures
      Dec. 08, 2012

      Etching, Gronk, Abstract Figures

      Est: $100 - $200

      Framed etching, Abstract Figures, by Gronk (American, b. 1954), signed lower right in pencil and numbered from an edition of 20 lower left, overall: 23.25"h x 32.25"w

      Clars Auctions
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