Mark Kostabi (1960) Biography
Mark Kostabi (1960 - ) was born in Los Angeles in 1960 to Estonian immigrants. He studied drawing and painting at California State University, Fullerton, then moved to New York in 1982. In 1984, he emerged as a leading figure in the now legendary East Village art scene.
By 1987, his work was widely exhibited in New York and other US galleries. In the 1990s his work was widely exhibited throughout Italy and he began to divide his time between Rome and New York.
Kostabi has designed album covers for Guns 'N' Roses (Use Your Illusion) and The Ramones (Adios Amigos) and numerous products including a Swatch watch and Alessi vases.
Kostabi is also known for his numerous collaborations with other artists including Enzo Cucchi, Arman, Howard Finster, Tadanori Yokoo, Enrico Baj and Paul Kostabi.
Kostabi's work is in over 50 permanent museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the National Gallery in Washington DC, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome and the Groninger Museum in Holland.
