Hal Bromm
90 West Broadway, 2nd floor
New York, NY, 10007
+1 212-732-6196
Tuesday–Saturday 12–5pm
Or any time by appointment
Join our mailing list
Hal Bromm
90 West Broadway, 2nd floor
New York, NY, 10007
+1 212-732-6196
Tuesday–Saturday 12–5pm
Or any time by appointment
Join our mailing list
Luis Frangella b. 1944
Luis Frangella (b. 1944, Buenos Aires, Argentina) was a figurative, postmodern painter and sculptor. He earned a master’s in architecture at the University of Buenos Aires in 1972 and attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973. In 1976, Frangella moved to New York City, where he painted huge “street” murals on construction site walls, abandoned Hudson River piers, and in the nightclubs of the East Village and Tribeca.
Situated in these nontraditional spaces, he began working with subversive artists like David Wojnarowicz. Luis became a sort of father figure to many younger artists as he established himself as an influential member of the East Village art scene. Known as a good cook, he fostered a sense of community and caring, often serving impromptu meals in his loft after the late-night club scene was winding down. Writing in Art Forum (1985), John Howell proclaimed, “Luis Frangella is a classic junk artist. That is, he grafts the essence of classic art themes and techniques onto an anthology of urban debris used as support materials, thereby updating the past and historicizing the present.”
At the height of the AIDS epidemic, Frangella was diagnosed with the disease and played an integral role in the ACT UP movement. Ostracized by his sexuality and state of health, Frangella embraced the marginalization he faced, applying it to his art and activism. Seriously incapacitated by his illness, Frangella was unable to remain involved for long, dying in 1990 at the age of 46 in New York City.
Exhibition History
Press:
Visual AIDS
Office Magazine
The Tribeca Trib
Open to Hope
The Tribeca Trib
Whitehot Magazine
Tribeca Citizen
Arts Magazine
ArtForum
Now on View:
Grace Graupe-Pillard: Burning Point @ Hal Bromm, Tribeca
September 9 - November 21, 2026
Take One Action
online exhibition
by Art At A Time Like This
featuring Grace Graupe-Pillard