Giclée 46.7x61 cm. Signed bottom right Kostabi 2014. Limited edition 18/50. Publisher's blind stamp. Handmade paper. Loose leaf.
About the artist:
Mark Kostabi (1960) is an American artist and composer. He is also one of the most recognizable icons of the legendary New York art scene of the mid-1980s in the East Village. A contemporary of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kostabi developed a completely unique artistic style that resonated with audiences worldwide. His universal, faceless figures inhabit surreal worlds of color and contrast. Worlds where his subjects encounter themes of love, isolation, technology, and modern anxieties. This is Kostabi's desire for a universal visual language that transcends racial and national barriers, where everyone can read their own story in his paintings.
In 1987, he began exhibiting in renowned galleries in the United States, Japan, Germany, and Australia. He gained recognition in the art press after establishing the "Kostabi World" art studio in Manhattan in 1988. In 1990, Kostabi's work also began to gain recognition in Italy, prompting him to settle in Rome for a second time in 1996, thus dividing his life between Italy and the United States.
Among other things, he is the author of the painting "Use Your Illusion," which became the cover of the album of the same name by Guns N' Roses. However, he did not limit his work to fine art – he is also the author of a number of applied art designs, and his works can be found in various fields. He is the designer of a Swatch watch collection, Alessi vases, Rosenthal espresso cups, and even the pink jersey for the Giro d'Italia cycling race.
Mark Kostabi has been involved in fine art since the age of six and has played the piano since he was twelve. His parents were musicians; his mother was a professional piano teacher. Since the age of 12, he has successfully alternated and combined both activities. He has now opened a second art studio in Rome, where he hosts residential concerts and parties. Among the artists he admires most are the Italian painters Caravaggio, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Giorgio de Chirico, and his role model – the American pop artist Andy Warhol.
