Mark Kostabi’s work needs no introduction and we can affirm, without fear of being contradicted, that the author has reached a stylistic figure that has made it recognizable, on an international level, even to those less expert in the sector. And, we can add that his resume speaks for his work.
Mark Kostabi “The Endless Connection” 2017, mixed media on paper, 26 x 40.5 cm. Photo courtesy Kostabi World, New York
Artist and composer, Mark Kostabi was born in Los Angeles in 1960, to Estonian parents. He studied drawing and painting at Fullerton State University, California. In 1982 he moved to New York, where he frequented Andy Warhol’s Factory and in 1984 emerged as a leading figure on the East Village scene, where he placed himself in an antagonistic position, publishing a series of self-interviews that reflected on the degenerative aspects of contemporary art. Starting in 1987 he began to exhibit in the most famous galleries in the United States, Japan, Germany and Australia. He established himself in the specialized press starting from 1988, when, in Manhattan District, he founded the Kostabi World, that we can define his ideal artist’s atelier: a modern but at the same time also Renaissance-style way of conceiving a studio, with numerous assistants and ideas of subjects or titles also proposed by individual visitors. Starting from 1990, Kostabi’s work also established itself in Italy, so much so that in 1996 the artist decided to open a second residence in Rome, thus dividing his life between Italy and the United States.
Mark Kostabi “Eternal Passion in Metaphysical Paradise” 2018, oil on canvas, 50 x 50 cm. Photo courtesy Kostabi World, New York
He produced the television show “The Kostabi Show” and, from 2000 to 2010, he wrote notes and advice for artists for Artnet.com (“Ask Mark Kostabi”). He designed the album covers of Guns’N’ Roses (“Use your Illusion”), the Ramones (“Adios Amigos”), Jimmy Scott (“Holding Back the Years”), Seether (“Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fry”) and numerous objects including the Swatch watch, the Bloomingdales handbag, Alessi vases, the Rosenthal cup, and the Giro d’Italia t-shirt. Kostabi is also known for having collaborated or produced works in tandem with internationally renowned artists. Among these we remember: Enzo Cucchi, Arman, Howard Finster, Tadanori Yokoo, Enrico Baj and Tony Esposito. He has also performed numerous concerts, both as a solo author and in the company of stars such as Ornette Coleman, Jerry Marotta, Tony Levin, Tony Esposito, Greesi Desiree Langovits, Paul Kostabi and Gene Pritsker. His compositions have instead been performed by Rein Rannap, Kristjan Jarvi, Maano Manni, Delilah Gutman and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. His CDs include these titles: “I Did It Steinway”, “Songs For Sumera”, “New Alliance”, “Kostabeat and Grace Notes”.
Mark Kostabi “Embracing the Future” 2018, oil on canvas, 30 x 30 cm. Photo courtesy Kostabi World, New York
Mark Kostabi is the subject of numerous documentaries and films. Let us remember the notable ones: “Bottom Line: The Kostabi Phenomenon” directed by Peter Bach, “Con Artist” directed by Michael Sladek, “Jedermann” directed by Paul Tschinkel, and “Full Circe: The Kostabi Story” directed by Sabrina Digregorio. Furthermore, the author is one of the four protagonists of the film “My Italy”, directed by Bruno Colella and containing a cameo with Achille Bonito Oliva.
Cover of the issue that Juliet Editrice dedicated to Mark Kostabi. Graphic design by Piero Scheriani, critical text by Roberto Vidali
Large retrospectives on the work of this great master of contemporary painting were held at the Mitsukoshi Museum in Tokyo (1992) and at the Art Museum of Estonia in Tallinn (1998). Vittorio Sgarbi curated the exhibition of one hundred and fifty paintings by Kostabi at the Chiostro del Bramante, in Rome, in 2006. Kostabi’s works are permanently present in more than sixty museums and collections, among which we remember the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Guggenheim Museum (New York), the Brooklyn Museum (New York), the National Gallery in Washington D.C., the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome and the Groninger Museum in Holland. His permanent public works include: a mural for the Palazzo dei Priori in Arezzo, Italy, a bronze sculpture for the main square of San Benedetto del Tronto, and the bronze portrait of Pope John II in Velletri. Over the years, Juliet art magazine has dedicated two covers to him and has just published a book on the work of this incredible and imaginative artist, with around forty works reproduced and an in-depth critical essay by Roberto Vidali. This book will be distributed at the Juliet stand at Arte Fiera, which will be held in Bologna from 7 to 9 February 2025.
Bruno Sain
Info:
“Mark Kostabi”, text by Roberto Vidali, graphic design by Piero Scheriani, 72 pp, 150 x 210 mm, Juliet Editrice, December 2024
is a contemporary art magazine since 1980
NO COMMENT