Tony Lordi (1940–2010)

Biography

Early Life and Education

Tony Lordi was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1940, the son of Anthony and Cora (Hoch) Lordi. He grew up in Newark and studied art and music at Arts High School. He continued his studies at The Art Students League in New York and at Newark State College (now Kean University), where he received both his undergraduate and master's degrees.

Teaching Career

In his early twenties, Tony taught art in the Bloomfield Public Schools and then at the County College of Morris, where he became a full professor and working artist.

Blackwell Street Gallery

From 1981 to 1998, Tony occupied a studio at 12 West Blackwell Street in Dover, New Jersey. He was one of a group of 20 artists who had studios there and co-founded the Blackwell Street Gallery. The group was known for exhibiting larger experimental work from 1984 to 1988.

Artistic Style and Influences

Most of Tony Lordi's work is deeply rooted in the Dada tradition and is based on vintage found objects. His concerns are pop culture and classic American icons. The result is a modern symbolism, from non-objective images to famous landmarks. The inspiration seems to come from all sorts of objects that are easily found in everyday life.

Exhibitions and Recognition

Tony had his first New York exhibition in the summer of 1988. Jack Gallery in SoHo exhibited his series of 25 Empire State Building sculptures made with found objects and different construction materials. The exhibition received unprecedented news coverage on television, including Channel 2 News in New York, as well as national and international coverage on CNN Headline News and CBS, among other networks.

The work was then exhibited at over 20 different galleries and museums, including: the Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania; the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France; the Phyllis Rothman Gallery at Fairleigh Dickinson University; Michael Ingbar Gallery in New York; Nahan Gallery in New York; Frederick Clement Gallery in Montclair and New York; the Noyes State Museum; the Zhejiang Museum in China; and Circle Gallery locations in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York, as well as the Empire State Building itself. New York University's Broadway Windows was one of the first galleries to exhibit the Empire State Building Series and through the years presented many other exhibits of new work by the artist.

Musical Career

Tony was also a musician. In the early 1970s, he used his talents as a songwriter with RCA Records.

After living for many years in West Caldwell, New Jersey, Tony moved to Lafayette Township in Northern New Jersey around 2000, where he continued to work out of his Lafayette studio. His talents and passion for his artwork were evident from his constant dedication and hard work from both his Blackwell Street and Lafayette studios.

Tony Lordi passed away on October 14, 2010, in Lafayette Township, New Jersey.