Ron English was born in 1966 in Dallas, Texas and today still refers to Dallas as his home. Today he is considered to be one of the most influential and charismatic artists alive and is hailed by many as the father of modern contemporary art. English’s unique style uses a mixture of bright, high and low cultural iconic images along with a strong dose of comic book heroes, blending them with mythological and historic figures. It is no wonder he is an artist whose work will feature the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Venus in the same capacity. In many ways English creates a world of artistic evolution in his paintings – he paints, sculpts, writes, designs album and book covers and is also a graphic designer. All his talents can’t take away the fact that English also happens to be a bit of a trouble maker for corporate organizations. Many of them have come under fire by English in his works – he has boldly attacked McDonalds, Trump Towers and the war on Iraq in his works. English doesn’t shy away from political sentiments when it comes to his work. If he is unhappy with something or someone he will gladly manifest it into his work and showcase it for the whole world to see.

He may draw ire from corporations and the political world but he continues to win deep admiration from people around the world. English literally exploded on the global scene with his unforgettable images on the walls, streets, museums, movies, books and grocery stores of all places as well. Some of his most iconic imagery includes the obese McDonald’s mascot he designed for the Oscar nominated documentary “Super Size Me.” Another masterpiece which graced the streets of New York was the Abraham Obama portrait which was a mash-up of the 16th and 144th Presidents of America. Ron English is simply fearless when it comes to being an artist and an icon for many across the world.

• Excerpted from Famous Painters

For more information, visit www.popaganda.com

 

Artist Soraya Marquez, aka Indie184 (born 1980). a native New Yorker from Dominican descent, has been active in the graffiti culture for over 2 decades. Determined to express herself to the world through art, she quit business college to teach herself how to sew, paint and produce graphic design. Influenced by abstract expressionism and pop art, Indie’s paintings are raptures of color and textures. Her original graffiti and street art is infused with imagery and designs juxtaposed with personal messages. 

 

Indie’s art has been exhibited in museums worldwide including, El Museo del Barrio in New York City, Völklingen Ironworks Museum in Saarbrücken Germany and Museo de Bellas Artes De Murcia in Spain. Her work has also been included in numerous solo and group gallery exhibitions. Indie’s graffiti and mixed media murals can be found on the streets from the South Bronx to Paris. Her most recent collaborations have been with Rimmel London as Chief Artistic Officer, Apple Beats1 Radio, Lionsgate Films, MTV Networks and a capsule clothing collection with iBlues. 

 

For more information, visit www.indie184.com

Born John Matos in 1961, CRASH was raised in the Bronx, New York. At the age of 13 he began following the older teens from his neighborhood to the train yards and, shortly thereafter, he began bombing. Matos took the name, “CRASH” after he accidentally crashed the computer in his school and it wasn’t long before that name began appearing on trains running throughout New York City. In 1989 CRASH began transitioning from train yards to galleries and, as a result, he curated the ground-breaking exhibition, “Graffiti Art Success for America” at Fashion MODA which launched the graffiti movement that has remained active through today. As CRASH’s career took off, he was immediately popular in the United States and in Europe. Asia was soon to follow. CRASH’s artwork has been exhibited and collected by numerous galleries and museums around the world. His iconic imagery has also inspired a number of corporate partnerships with companies including Absolut Vodka, Fender Guitars, SoBella Handbags, Levi’s, Tumi and Morphik. CRASH is the co-owner of WALLWORKS NEW YORK, a contemporary art gallery based in the Bronx and Wallworks TWO, a locally driven retail boutique. 

For more information, visit www.crashone.com

Chris “DAZE” Ellis was born in 1962 in New York City. He began his prolific career painting NYC subway cars in 1976 while attending The High School of Art and Design and he remains one of the few artists of his generation who made the successful transition from the subways to the studio. Ellis’ first group show was the seminal “Beyond Words” at the Mudd Club in 1981and shortly thereafter, his first solo exhibition was held at Fashion Moda, an influential alternative art space in the South Bronx. One year later, the Ludwig Museum in Aachen, Germany acquired the first of several paintings for its permanent collection. 

 

Other, notable solo exhibitions include Sidney Janis Gallery, NYC (1984), Galleria del Palazzo, Florence, Italy (1988), Palais du Lichtenstein, Feldkirch, Austria (1999), Musee d’art Moderne, Nice, France (1999), Fortune Cookie Projects, Singapore (2010), Addison Gallery of American Art at The Phillips Academy, Andover, Massahusetts (2014), The Museum of the City of New York, NYC (2014), The Russ Berrie Medical Science Pavilion at Columbia University (2018) and PPOW Gallery, NYC (2018). 

 

Public art projects include a mural for The Star Ferry Terminal, Hong Kong (1992), a collaborative design with Lee and CRASH for an entire train station in Hanover, Germany (1995), a mural for the Dreamland Social Club, Creative Time (2004) and a mural for the law firm, Cleary, Gottlieb, Steven & Hamilton, Washington DC (2018). In 2017 Ellis was the art consultant for Baz Luhrmann’s Netflix series, “The Get Down.” 

 

Since 1994 Ellis has had multiple opportunities to collaborate with students. He has worked in various communities in New York, Seoul, Korea, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Rio de Janiero, Brazil, Palaia, Italy, Port au Prince, Haiti and Andover, Massachusetts. He is a regular contributor to the Leap Arts Program and Thrive Collective in New York. 

 

Ellis’ work has been placed in the permanent collections of many major museums including The Whitney Museum, NYC, The Museum of Modern Art, NYC, The Museum of the City of New York, The Ludwig Museum, Aachen, Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven and Addison Museum of American Art at the Phillips Academy, Andover. 

 

For more information, visit www.dazeworld.com

 

Shepard Fairey was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1989 he created the "Andre the Giant has a Posse" sticker that transformed into the OBEY GIANT art campaign, with imagery that has changed the way people see art and the urban landscape. After more than 30 years, his work has evolved into an acclaimed body of art, including the 2008 "Hope" portrait of Barack Obama, found at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. In 2017, the artist collaborated with Amplifier to create the "We The People" series, which was recognizable during the Women's Marches and other rallies worldwide in defense of national and global social justice issues.

 

Fairey's stickers, guerilla street art presence, and public murals are recognizable globally. His works are in the permanent collections of the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and many others.

 

Shepard Fairey has painted more than 110 largescale murals across six continents worldwide. 

 

For more information, visit www.OBEYGIANT.com.

 

Gary Lichtenstein Editions is a publisher and printer of fine art silkscreen editions and multiples. Over the course of his remarkable 45-year career, Gary Lichtenstein has collaborated with a wide variety of different artists including Cey Adams, Charlie Ahearn, Doug Argue, Janette Beckman, Joanne Greenbaum, Jane Dickson, Oasa DuVerney, Bob Gruen, Charles Hinman, Alfred Leslie, Eric Orr, James Prosek, Shelter Serra and Jessica Stockholder. He has printed for industry legends including Marina Abramovic, Robert Cottingham, Robert Indiana and Ken Price. 

 

WCC Editions is the publishing arm of West Chelsea Contemporary, a world-class gallery that focuses on 20th century and contemporary art predominantly in American, Asian and European post-war movements. With locations in Austin and New York City, West Chelsea Contemporary is a champion of street art and its storied history.