"Welcome to Las Vegas-Poker" Contemporary Signed Embellished Canvas by Steve Kaufman

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"Welcome to Las Vegas -Poker" blue
by Steve Kaufman
Limited Edition Giclee Hand Embellished on Canvas
Hand signed the artist
… Read more "Welcome to Las Vegas -Poker" blue
by Steve Kaufman
Limited Edition Giclee Hand Embellished on Canvas
Hand signed the artist
Art Size: 30" x 30"
Edition :22/25
Stretched Canvas


Steve Kaufman (American, b. 1960)

Steve Kaufman was born in the Bronx, New York, in 1960. At the young age of eight he had his first exhibit, and by the time he was 12 he had a job painting faces on pet-rocks for NYC’s Macy’s department store. Steve Kaufman then worked as an assistant to Andy Warhol in Warhol’s factory. In 1989 Kaufman opened his own art studio and hired many NYC homeless to work for him. He then painted the portraits of three homeless people which went on to help raise $4,720,000.00 to benefit the homeless. While operating his own studio Kaufman has continued to employ the homeless and ex-gang kids from the Los Angeles area. Today, Kaufman is still working in his LA studio but, as he has from the beginning, Kaufman is experimenting with a new art style and techniques.
As always, Kaufman as had a great response with his new works and collectors continue to celebrate his work as he embarks on this new style. We can see evidence of his new style in his “Hollywood Marilyn” where he has collaged other images into the work that “support” his main image. For instance, in the lower right foreground Kaufman has situated Marilyn’s star from Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, then he has depicted Marilyn herself all dolled-up as the central theme. Kaufman places her directly in the middle of the composition, heavily outlined, and in the background we see other elements and images symbolic of Hollywood. This new style is also evident in his First Ladies series of Princess Diane and Jacqueline Kennedy. Kaufman believes this new style will give his portraits more impact. Kaufman also believes in creating works that are unique not only in subject matter, or style but even within his limited editions. For this reason many of Kaufman’s edition are hand embellished. In other words, Kaufman chooses to hand paint on each of his limited editions so that no two paintings are exactly alike. Kaufman is renowned for his charity work, contributing to many worthy charities through his artwork and by personally visiting with the underprivileged and disabled. Kaufman supports over 150 charities each year and is considered a man of the people.
Kaufman's artwork hangs in the White House, the Smithsonian, as well as hundreds of other public and private collections around the world. He has made a name for himself in the art world and market and is internationally acclaimed as the new pop artist. Kaufman is the first American artist to be asked to create portraits for two European masters. Kaufman has been featured on Fox TV and MTV, and was the winner of the Underground Artist of the Year award for creating 55 racial harmony murals. He also created an AIDS Memorial in New York City, and a Meals on Wheels mural on the walls of the famous Spago Restaurant in Los Angeles. The Picasso Academy of Fine Arts commissioned Kaufman to create a portrait of Picasso, one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. Kaufman was also commissioned to create a portrait of Van Gogh for The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. He has been so fortunate to be the only American to be honored with the Picasso Ring which is an annual award given to an artist the Picasso Academy feels has the spirit of Picasso. See less