Steve Kaufman is one of the most influential pop artists in
U.S. history. His work appreciated for both its technical merit and its
historical importance in pushing the pop art movement forward. Steve Kaufman
single handedly transformed pop art from a discipline focused on ordinary
object to art with social relevance.
Even by artist standards, Steve Kaufman was an extremely precocious
child. He held his first art show at his synagogue when he was only 8 years
old, and works from that show are now hanging in the Jewish Holocaust Memorial
in Brooklyn, New York. At age 12, Kaufman achieved his first commercial success
when he was commissioned to paint custom pet rocks for the New York City Macys
department store. Kaufman continued to experience success selling his art
during his teens before enrolling in the famous New York institution the
Parsons School of design.
Steve Kaufman met
the American pop art pioneer Andy Warhol at Studio 54 in New York City. The two
soon developed a friendship and working relationship where Kaufman served as
Warhol’s assistant at his famous studio called “The factory.” Kaufman was
heavily influenced by Warhol’s style. He and Warhol used many of the same
mediums including, sculpture, photography, stained glass, mixed media and
filmmaking, but his paintings and prints are by far the most famous. He is also
famous for painting unusual objects, including Mercedes Benz and a Formula One
Race Car. He is famous for painting celebrities including Frank Sinatra,
Muhammed Ali, Marilyn Monroe, and Jackie Kennedy. He also produced a very
successful screen print series of Cohiba cigars that remain some of Kaufman’s
bestselling work today.
Early American pop
art focused on making ordinary objects and images into works of art. Critics of
pop art have criticized the school of art for being cold and lacking human
emotion. While pop art was often injected with a sense of humor and an
invitation for the audience to reflect on their value set, there was not much
inherent personality in the paintings. Steve Kaufman’s art was a pioneer in
changing the face or pop art to a more human one with added social relevance.
Kaufman was a major advocate for AIDs awareness and one of the recognizable
pieces of Kaufman art is his 5 foot by 5 foot canvas of Trojan condoms. He also
used his art to promote racial equality and advocate for an end to
homelessness. Outside of his art, he also donated his time and money to many
socially significant campaigns including programs to protect the environment,
end gang violence, and feed the hungry.
While Kaufman pushed
the pop art discipline forward in regards to subject matter, he also pushed the
discipline forward in regard to technique. Pop artist has always favored screen
printing as a medium, but instead of producing multiple identical prints
Kaufman would make each one unique. He would paint something different on each
print in a series, making each one identifiably unique. This not only created
more value for each print in a series, but it also elevated the print making
process to incorporate elements of mixed media. His new techniques couple with
his social awareness set Steve Kaufman apart from other contemporary pop
artists.
At only 49 years
old, Steve Kaufman passed away in 2010. Although his art career was short
lived, he produced more successful art during his short career than most
artists due in lifetimes that are twice as long. Kaufman art continues to be
extremely popular. His original paintings and prints can be found in museums
and private collections around the world.
2019 retail value $5250.00