Born on December 4, 1936 in New York, John Giorno emerged as a major figure of the New York art scene by the early 1960s. Led role in Andy Warhol’s film Sleep (1963), he collaborated with artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, William Burroughs and Brion Gysin. In 1967, he published his first collection of poems, Poems, and his first album, in collaboration with Rauschenberg and Les Levine.

In 1968, Giorno launched Dial-A-Poem, a project of poetic and activist readings addressing social and political issues via a telephone number. In 1971, he met the Dalai Lama on a trip to India and Nepal, whose Buddhist influence is reflected in his work.

In 1965, Giorno founded Giorno Poetry Systems (GPS), an organisation dedicated to supporting artists, poets and musicians. In 1972, he founded GPS Records, a label publishing new wave, no wave and punk artists. In response to the AIDS epidemic, GPS launched the AIDS Treatment Project in 1984, supporting artists living with HIV.

A prolific artist, Giorno developed a performance practice starting in 1969 and later founded The John Giorno Band in 1981 and performed in numerous punk venues. In 1989, he created his first Poem Paintings, works mixing poetry and Pop Art. In 1998, he met Ugo Rondinone, whom he married in 2017. That same year, he retired from the public eye devoting his final years to meditation, artistic creation and poetry. John Giorno died in 2019, leaving an artistic and activist legacy whose influence lives on today.

Giorno Poetry Systems (GPS) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1965 by John Giorno to support and promote artists, poets, musicians, and those studying the Nyingmapa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Its original goal was to liberate poetry from the printed page and integrate it into visual, musical, social, and political spheres, making it accessible to a broad audience through “venues” such as the telephone, radio, records, rock clubs, and even T-shirts.

Today, GPS remains a vibrant ecosystem for supporting the artistic community. The historic loft at 222 Bowery in Manhattan houses a library of books and records, as well as a space for talks, concerts, salons, dinners, and retreats curated by artists, poets, and musicians. The organization also supports charitable initiatives, offering grants to LGBTQ+ organizations, the Padmasambhava Buddhist Center, and practitioners of Nyingmapa Buddhism.