SKU: H34594
A$8,895
For decades, Nirvana’s iconic X-Eye Smiley Face logo has been one of rock’n’roll’s most enduring symbols of youthful angst. The origins of the logo, however, remain a mystery. Some say that Kurt Cobain designed it himself in 1991, riffing off the logo for the Seattle strip club The Lusty Lady, while others say that it came from Sub Pop’s first art director Lisa Orth and designer Grant Alden. The controversies surrounding the legal ownership of the Nirvana logo came to a head in 2020, when Robert Fisher, an art director at Geffen Records, filed a lawsuit claiming that he designed the distinctive logo and was owed royalties. Johnny Romeo playfully examines the royalty fiasco surrounding the acclaimed grunge band’s logo with gleeful Absurdism in Sub Pop, as he mashes together the yellow Nirvana logo with the body of a Napoleonic royal dressed in distinguished regalia. Drawing inspiration from Nirvana’s 1993 grunge anthem ‘Pennyroyal Tea’, the word assemblage ‘Royal Tease’ plays off the word ‘royalties’ to comically ask the question: where are all the royalties from Nirvana’s logo? A master of visual puns, the humour of the text passage ‘Royal Tease’ is further heightened when one considers that Romeo has teased the audience with only half a royal and gone so far as to allude to the sleazy striptease of The Lusty Lady. The title of the painting pays homage to Sub Pop, the legendary Seattle-based record label who famously signed Nirvana and was responsible for popularizing grunge music in the late 80s and early 90s. Within the context of the painting, Romeo claims the term ‘Sub Pop’ for his own, employing it to playfully describe his practice as a culture jammer and the way in which he substitutes (‘subs’) and appropriates imagery to make refreshing, new forms of Pop.
H34594 Sub Pop
Safe & Secure Shipping
Free Collection
from Seaforth
Local Delivery
from $80
International
Shipping Quotes on
Request
Johnny Romeo is an internationally acclaimed Australian painter. Considered Australia’s leading Pop artist, Romeo is spearheading the global Neo-Expressionist Pop movement with his electrifying collision of rock’n’roll swagger, comic book aesthetics and street art. Described by GQ Magazine Australia as ‘part punk, part pop’, Romeo’s Kitsch Pop works are explosive sugar rushes of Technicolour imagery and urban grittiness that are turning heads worldwide.
Johnny Romeo ‘WHATEVER!’ Exhibition 2024
Johnny Romeo ‘FUTURE DAYS’ Exhibition 2023
Johnny Romeo ‘LANDED!’ Exhibition 2022
Affordable Art Fair Sydney 2022
Johnny Romeo ‘Choose Life’ Seaforth Exhibition 2022
Grand Seaforth Reopening Exhibition 2022
Johnny Romeo ‘The Sunny Side of the Moon’ Mosman Exhibition 2020
Johnny Romeo Pop-Up Exhibition Melbourne 2020
Johnny Romeo ‘To The Extreme’ Mosman Exhibition 2019
Johnny Romeo ‘The Last Days of Disco’ Mosman Exhibition 2018
Shipping will be calculated at checkout based on the item and your location. You will be given two options to choose from: the fastest and the cheapest
Free Collection
For all fine art purchases, free collection is available from our Gallery in Seaforth. For Art of Dr. Seuss purchases, free collection is available from QVB (Sydney) or The Block (Melbourne).
International Shipping
For international shipping, please contact us for a quote.
Timelines
All online orders will be processed within 48 hours (business days), unless the artwork is a part of a current exhibition or is an Art of Dr. Seuss purchase.
Exhibition artwork will be shipped once the exhibition closes and for an Art of Dr. Seuss purchase, please allow 14 – 16 weeks for delivery from date of purchase.
The average time for dispatch for all other artworks is approximately 5 business days, depending on availability and payment arrangements.
Delivery will take between 5 – 10 business days Australia wide.
We will confirm your order and dispatch arrangement details by email or phone.
All Prices are in AUD (Australian currency)
You can purchase online using a Credit Card, Art Money, Paypal, or Bank Transfer.
Our website is secured using an SSL certificate to make sure your information is safe. We also use secure payment methods. If you you’d prefer to speak to one of our team, or if you have any questions, please refer to our contact us page.
Acrylic and Oil on Canvas
124 x 124 cm Framed
A$8,895 Enquiry OnlyAcrylic and Oil on Canvas
124 x 124 cm Framed
A$8,895 Enquiry OnlyAcrylic and Oil on Canvas
124 x 124 cm Framed
A$8,895 Enquiry OnlyAcrylic and Oil on Canvas
124 x 124 cm Framed
A$8,895 Enquiry Only
Mixed Media on Linen
137 x 137 cm
A$17,000 Buy Now
Photography (Original Negative)
64 x 53.5 cm Framed Under Glass / Image Size 51 x 41 cm
A$4,330 Buy Now
Oil on Arches
81 x 100 cm Framed Under Glass / Image Size 57 x 76 cm
A$4,500 Buy Now
Print on Canson Edition Etching Paper
75 x 105 cm Framed Under UV Glass / Image Size 60 x 90 cm
A$3,500 Buy NowHarvey Galleries was founded by the Harvey family in 1994 with an eye to establish a dynamic and inclusive contemporary art space on the North Shore of Sydney. For almost three decades we have expanded our reach to over three gallery locations and an ever expanding stable of the best artists Australia has to offer.
Harvey Galleries acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands upon which our galleries stand. The Guringai people (Seaforth), the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation (Sydney), and the Bunurong Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation (Melbourne).
We pay our respect to Elders past and present.
Please leave your details and we’ll be in touch
"*" indicates required fields
Always be the first to know about exhibitions, events and new art releases.
