When Steve Kaufman opened his Los Angeles studio, The Art Studio, in 2000, he opened his doors to a new century of artistic innovation, social consciousness and media events like the art world has never seen.
After winning the Underground Artist of the Year award in 1992, for creating 55 racial harmony murals in New York City, his life’s work in art and social progress was just beginning to take form.
From age eight, when he created a series of paintings that would hang in a New York Holocaust museum, until today, Kaufman has always conceived his art with a vision for a better world.
Kaufman became Andy Warhol’s "legman" and creative assistant in 1978 and went on to design the famous theme parties at Studio 54 – developing clients such as Calvin Klein and Elizabeth Taylor – and collaborate with Saturday Night Live on its classic Pop Art opening sequence.
The ‘80’s saw further successes for Kaufman, and in 1989 he opened his Art Studio to address problems in inner city New York. His first efforts were campaigns for AIDS awareness and racial unity. He followed with a series of portraits of homeless people, which raised $4.72 million for the homeless.
Meanwhile, he moved into sports portraiture, with commissioned paintings of Mickey Mantle for Mantle’s Restaurant and of Joe Frazier to aid the Police Athletic League.
In 1992, Kaufman appeared with his art on Fox and MTV to promote racial harmony, and he sold prints from his racial harmony series to Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, Larry Mullen (of U2), and Eddie Murphy.
That same year, Kaufman created an AIDS memorial in New York and a 600’ x 20’ Meals on Wheels mural on the walls of Spago restaurant in Los Angeles.
Upon moving to Los Angeles in 1995, Kaufman began hiring ex-gang members straight out of prison as creative assistants – by 1998, he had hired over 400 former gang members as assistants.
In the meantime, John Travolta and Frank Sinatra commissioned self-portraits, painted by Kaufman. And Kaufman’s sports work continued with two series of commissioned portraits of Muhammad Ali. Ali himself said of “The Greatest” series, “The style and dynamic color that Steve Kaufman used in these portraits really captures the memory of my boxing career. These are the best I’ve ever seen.”
Upon the death of Frank Sinatra, daughter Nancy Sinatra appeared on Larry King Live and other programs, presenting Kaufman’s portraits of the great singer as, “the way I want my father remembered.” Over the years, Kaufman’s legacy has grown into both a fan following and an extended family – a family that shares his vision for a better world.
Kaufman’s work hangs in the White House.
From New York’s creative community associated with contemporary artists Keith Haring, Jean Michel Basquait, and Kenny Scharf, Kaufman has established his own historic identity, melding the Pop Art traditions of Warhol and others with his own innovative approaches. Kaufman is credited with refining the screen printing process, allowing for greater fluidity and definition. He returns to each canvas to add hand-painted embellishments, which reflect his morphing perspectives during the creative process.
Says Kaufman, “I see one thing when I view my finished work, and you may see something else. The meaning of any work of art should be personal and not the result of my telling you what I want it to mean. I always want to encourage questioning. I do not believe there are absolutes – one should always evaluate.”
Now his life of questioning, evaluating and creating goes on, as he begins work this year on the Los Angeles Holocaust Memorial Portrait, and his ever-expanding subjects and social causes.