An artist who has marched into the mainstream.
John Tursi's Lozenges collects a series of works assembled from painted diamond-shaped canvases, each approximately the size of a traffic sign. The works have a musical air — sexy geometric shapes in bright colors dance across their surfaces, dotted circles suggesting swaying breasts and scalloped forms echoing kicking feet. The figures that emerge hint at Mesoamerican carvings, transforming a danse joyeux into a spiritual ritual.
Tursi has worked at The Living Museum at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens since the 1990s. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums, and received favorable reviews across major arts publications. The New York Times critic Roberta Smith once wrote that he came close to "genius status," saying that his works "dazzle."
Lozenges was the inaugural solo exhibition at Open Studio — the first gallery in New York dedicated exclusively to artists with disabilities. To open with Tursi was a declaration: this work belongs in a serious institutional context, on its own terms, evaluated by the same standards as any other artist of his generation.
Installation views
John Tursi: Lozenges · Open Studio · 127 Henry Street, New York · July 10 – August 15, 2025 · Photography available on request
Works in the exhibition
InquiryPress
"Open Studio avoids such pitfalls, looking beyond narratives of hardship to focus on the art itself. It's an inspiring project in more ways than one."
"John Tursi...has marched into the mainstream and thus opened a trail for others from unconventional backgrounds."
About John Tursi
John Tursi has worked at The Living Museum at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens, New York since the 1990s — one of the most celebrated progressive art studios in the United States. His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums and received extensive critical attention, including a review by New York Times critic Roberta Smith who wrote that his works come close to "genius status" and "dazzle."
Tursi's paintings embody the raw honesty, inventiveness, and lack of posturing that define the work coming from progressive art studios. He should be looked at in the context of other artists of his generation — Carroll Dunham, Jeff Koons, Mike Kelley.
Collect this work.
Works from Lozenges are available for acquisition. All sales support the artist directly. For pricing, availability, and condition reports, contact Open Studio.