Alex Grey

Lore & Background

Grey's connection to Tool began in the mid-1990s when guitarist Adam Jones discovered his work and commissioned him to create artwork for three major albums: Lateralus, 10,000 Days, and Fear Inoculum. One specific piece from Grey's repertoire, titled 'Net of Being,' was explicitly featured by the band on their album covers. Beyond Tool, Grey has illustrated for other groups including the Beastie Boys and The String Cheese Incident. His images have even been printed onto blotter acid sheets and used to promote rave events. Newsweek magazine and the Discovery Channel have also featured his artwork, cementing his status as a leading figure in visionary art.

Reader's Guide

For example, the 'Net of Being' painting, which features in their work, exemplifies his ability to depict universal human experiences like birth, death, and connection. Grey's work often includes detailed representations of the body's internal systems alongside religious symbols like auras and chakras. As New York Times critic Holland Cotter noted in 2002, Grey's art is 'psychedelic realism,' where the human figure is rendered transparently with X-ray eyes.

Did You Know?

• Grey learned anatomy by preparing cadavers for dissection at Harvard Medical School's anatomy department, a position he held for five years.
• In 1975, Grey met his wife Allyson at a party where they both ingested LSD, an experience initially given to him by his professor.
• Grey created the 21-painting 'Sacred Mirrors' series over a period of 10 years, examining the physical and metaphysical anatomy of the individual.
• Grey co-founded The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM) with his wife Allyson; it originally opened in Chelsea, New York in 2004 before reopening in Wappingers Falls.