Futura

 Leonard Hilton McGurr, known as Futura, is an American graffiti artist born on November 17, 1955. He began painting illegally on New York City's subway in the early 1970s, often collaborating with other artists such as ALI. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1974 to 1978, during which time he traveled extensively around the world. In the early 1980s, he exhibited with Patti Astor at the Fun Gallery, alongside notable artists Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Richard Hambleton, and Kenny Scharf.

Futura gained recognition after painting backdrops for the British punk rock band The Clash's 1981 European tour. He was also part of the first meeting of the graffiti and urban art movement in Bondy, France, in 1985, with Speedy Graphito, Miss Tic, SP 38, Epsylon Point, Blek le Rat, Jef Aérosol, Nuklé-Art, Kim Prisu, Banlieue-Banlieue.

While he is primarily known as a graffiti artist, much of his work is as an illustrator and graphic designer of album covers, first becoming involved with The Clash, for whom he produced the sleeve for their "This Is Radio Clash" 7" single and wrote the sleeve notes and lyrics sheet for their album Combat Rock (1982). He also toured extensively with The Clash during the Combat Rock tours, "performing" with them on stage by spray painting backdrops while the band performed.

During the 1990s, Futura was involved with clothing companies such as GFS, Subware, and Project Dragon. In recent years, much of Futura's artwork has evolved into the production of collectible toys, sneakers, and a diverse range of creative media, working with Recon, Nike, Medicom Toy, Undercover, Supreme, Levi's, and A Bathing Ape. He also designs his own clothing under the label Futura Laboratories, with a store located in Fukuoka, Japan.

Futura has been interviewed and featured in the 2005 sneaker documentary Just For Kicks. He has also had numerous one-man exhibitions organized by galleries such as Fun Gallery, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, Philippe Briet Gallery, Galerie du Jour Agnès B., and Galerie Jérôme de Noirmont. Futura's work has been exhibited in museums, including New York / New Wave at PS1 (1981), Coming from the Subway at Groninger Museum (1992), Beautiful Losers (2004), and Art in the Streets at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2011).

In addition to his art, Futura has designed for brands such as Hennessy, Uniqlo, and the New York Mets. He also collaborated with Funko to design decals for a Star Wars line sold exclusively at Target in late 2019. In 2020, Futura collaborated with BMW to design a bespoke series of vehicles that were shown at Frieze LA 2020 in Los Angeles, US.

Futura's publications include Events, Artist invite Artists (1981), New Art at the Tate Gallery (1983), Spraycan Art (1987), New York Now (1987), Subway Art (1988), and Futura 2000: Œuvres récentes (1989), among others. In September 2020, a pair of Nike sneakers that he designed, known as the "Leonard Hilton McGurr ‘Futura’ Nike Dunk High Pro SB ‘FLOM’," sold at auction for US$63,000.