The de Young museum in San Francisco is set to open a monumental exhibition of American counter-culture art on July 13, 2019, with Ed Hardy: Deeper than Skin, a retrospective of the groundbreaking and influential tattoo and fine artist, Ed Hardy. Not only has Hardy been responsible for taking the subculture into a global phenomenon, but his style transcends borders, with influences from Japan and early American tattooing that has made him an icon.
In the coming weeks, Juxtapoz will introduce not only our conversations with Mr. Hardy from our Summer 2019 issue and a conversation with the curator of Deeper than Skin, but special announcements about the opening party of the exhibition that will held at the museum in July, 2019. With Ed Hardy not only being a legend of the San Francisco art scene, from his days at SFAI and famed shop Tattoo City (as well as the cover of Juxtapoz, most recently, June 2011), we will be working closely with the museum to provide a larger perspective of tattoo culture on not only California, but a broader, global story of Hardy's reach. Stay tuned and follow us at juxtapoz.com/ed-hardy-deeper-than-skin all summer! Share your tattoo using #ArtoftheTattoo for a chance to be featured in the museum.
An overview of the exhibition notes:
Deeper than Skin will feature paintings, drawings, prints and three-dimensional works by famed tattoo artist Ed Hardy in a retrospective format that begins with a selection of drawings from the 1950s, when the young artist became fixated on the art of tattooing. Photographs and sketched tattoo designs by the ten-year-old Hardy will be on view, all of them taken at or inspired by the tattoo parlors of the Long Beach Pike, an amusement zone not far from his Corona del Mar home. When Hardy was a teenager, his interest turned from tattooing to creating imagery inspired by the Southern California hot-rod, custom-car, and surf cultures. In high school, an influential teacher directed him to investigate contemporary art and literature, including Pop Art and Beat poetry. Hardy made trips to visit Los Angeles galleries, including the now-legendary Ferus Gallery, where he saw the work of Andy Warhol, Bruce Conner, John Altoon, and Philip Guston. Hardy’s drawings and collages from this period show their influence and will be exhibited alongside works that have what Hardy describes as “strident humanist bent.”
Experience Ed Hardy: Deeper than Skin at the de Young museum, July 13–October 6. Got ink? Your tattoo gets you discounted tickets, for a limited time only. Learn more at deyoungmuseum.org.
