 |
|
|
Perry White from Superman: The Motion Picture (1976)
Personal Insights: This is one of my favorite pieces in my collection, it hangs in my living room. I went to the Warner Brothers Store to buy a cel of Batman from "Mask of the Phantasm", when Allison, the gallery manager, showed me a picture of this painting. I bought it on the spot (I did not buy the cel), and have not regretted it since.
General Information: An oil painting on canvas titled "Superman Burst", by Steve Kaufman (SAK). Total edition size of 250 limited editions, 25 artist's proofs, 25 trial proofs. This one numbered 25.
Artist Information:SAK
was featured on Fox TV, MTV, was the winner of the Underground
Artist of the Year Award for creating 55 Racial Harmony murals,
his AIDS Memorial mural in NYC, and a Meal on Wheels mural on
the walls of the famous Spago Restaurant. His artwork hangs in
the White House and the Smithsonian, and his bio rivals that of
Picasso at the same age.
"One of the most talked about rising stars in the pop art
world is Steve kaufman (aka SAK), whose painting subjects range
from street life and graffiti to Super Heroes and World Champion
athletes. Something of a child prodigy, SAK had his first 'one
child' show at the age of 8, received a summer scholarship to
The Parsons School of Design at age 14, and by the age of 16 had
participated in his first group show at the Whitney Museum. His
early 20's found him enrolled at the School of The Visual Arts
and working at the Factory for Andy Warhol, who was to have a
profound influence over the young artist's later work.
SAK has always reflected his concern for the world around him
in his work, benefiting such causes as AIDS, gang violence, homelessness
and Meals on Wheels.
The Warner Brothers Studio Store Galleries commissioned Mr. Kaufman
to create a series of his widely popular "Warholesque"
limited edition portraits of Batman, Superman, the Looney Tunes
characters, and his latest success, a special signed limited edition
of Olympic Gold Medalist Muhammad Ali (aka Cassius Clay), to commemorate
the 1996 Centennial Olympics in Atlanta
Steve Kaufman has been influenced by DC Comics Super Heroes from
childhood through to present day. 'Working with the DC characters
was like a dream come true. I was an avid comic book reader as
a child and like many little boys, envisioned myself like a Super
Hero, doing good, being strong and overcoming evil. Now here I
am today, working with gang kids and the homeless."
On the process of Screen Printing:
As with the work he performed for the late Andy Warhol, SAK utilizes
the silk - screen printing process to create his limited editions.
The bold color panels contained within distinct black character
lines, best convey the vibrant, graphic images that are
Pop Art. Each oil paint silk - screen image was hand - pulled
on canvas, many with hand - painted embellishments, creating a
truly lasting work of art."
Early Exhibitions:
| 1968 | One - child show at a Bronx bank at age eight |
| 1976 | Participating in a group graffiti show at the Whitney Museum. Represented by the Cherry Street Gallery. |
| 1981 | Exhibits in antique auto series at two Citibank locations. Citibank purchases the series for their private collection. |
| 1982 | Shows at the Air Gallery in London, White Freuds. |
| 1983 - 1984 | Exhibits, Sex & Rock & Roll in a show at Off Center Gallery, Money at Commonwealth Gallery and Red, White & Blue at Kelley Gallery. |
| 1986 - 88 | Showing at Maine Fine Art, The Gallery, Edingurgh College of Art, Zanzibar Club, and Smith Gallery. |
| 1990 | Sold out show at the Loft Gallery in Tokyo. |
| 1992 | Accepts "Underground Artist of the Year" Award. |
| 1995 | Martin Lawrence Modern, New York, New York. |
| 1996 | Six sold out shows in Tokyo and Nagano. |
- From the Warner Brother issued brochure