Lew the Jew Alberts: Early 20th Century Tattoo Drawings - Softcover

Hardy, Don Ed

Softcover

ISBN 10: 094536783X ISBN 13: 9780945367833

Publisher: Hardy Marks Pubns, 2015

Synopsis

The original creator of tattoo "flash" was largely unknown. Now a private collection of works by this Jewish tattooer from New York, "Lew the Jew" Alberts, has come to light. Around 1905 he was the first to make these design sheets commercially available, as well as developing the electric tattoo machine. His previously unpublished and rare original tattoo artwork is being published as a tattoo flash collection for the first time.Albert Kurzman (1880-1954) aka Lew the Jew was one of America s most influential tattoo artists at the beginning of the 20th century. Operating primarily on New York s Bowery, Lew constructed some of the earliest electric tattoo machines, and was the first to design and market printed design sheets to other tattooers. His artwork in these flash displays codified the repertoire of American tattooing, and many are still in use today.This first book to document this amazing man presents over 150 drawings. Included in these is correspondence between Al and two of his closest confidants, San Francisco Bay Area tattooers Brooklyn Joe Lieber and C.J. Pop Eddy. These candid fragments provide a vivid sense of a hardboiled, secretive world. Additional business cards, vintage tattoo photographs, and previously unknown biographical data illuminate the then-shadowy business of skin art. This material laid the ground for the avalanche of tattooing that permeates the world today.

About this title

About the Author

A Southern California native born in 1945, Hardy completed a B.F.A. degree in printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute. In 2000 he received an honorary doctorate from SFAI. His focus now is on painting, printmaking, and works in other media that have been exhibited in galleries and museums internationally. In addition to curating several shows, he has written and published more than thirty books on alternative art under the Hardy Marks imprint. Hardyâ (TM)s various works form the basis of the global fashion line Ed Hardy, that became an international phenomenon. His life and works are documented in a variety of books and films. In addition to showing his own works, Hardy has curated a number of exhibitions for both galleries and nonprofit spaces and frequently lectures at museums and universities. His work has appeared in numerous periodicals, books, and films internationally. In 2000, he was appointed by Oakland mayor Jerry Brown to that cityâ (TM)s Cultural Arts Commission, and awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the San Francisco Art Institute. Hardy divides his time between his studios in Honolulu and in San Francisco.

Edition details

• Publisher: Hardy Marks Pubns
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 094536783X
• ISBN 13: 9780945367833
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 72