"THE EMPRESS"
by Julio C.R., an original 24" x 30" painting.
Acrylic on Canvas (unframed) - 2014
In the last 50 years, the inside of 101 Asbury Avenue has seen the likes of Judy Garland, her daughter Liza, and other ACTUAL drag queens. The place was once shuttered for becoming a drug and prostitution hotspot, has been featured on the picture sleeve of Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart" single, and has been restyled and resurrected as a gay resort by a Madonna-affiliated music producer. Yet, from the outside, the plain 60's mod-facade belies the scandal-plagued interior. The dirty pink crown of the Empress Hotel is emblematic of the gritty glamor of Asbury Park itself, and this work, with its "dirty whites" reflects the town's rejection of conformity and homogeneity and its distinctive beach-urban mystique.
A limited number of reproduction canvases and digital prints will be available in summer 2014. For further details, please click above to email us.
