SG MAG_NOV MAIN1

BLACK STAR SAPPHIRE
OWNER JACK ARMSTRONG
COSMIC HARLEY DAVIDSON
This magazine catalogues some 46 of the amazing 100 paintings of cosmic artist and art rebel Jack Armstrong whom I’ve
known for 12 years. Letters by the artist himself regarding 3 of his seminal pieces, his Triptych, have been included.
Jack now in his sixties and in declining health is still flamboyant, out spoken and even arrogant at times. However,
underneath this mask, he is a very caring and sensitive man with a deep passion for the millions of forgotten artists who
could never break through the wall of the “art cartel”, his name for the major art galleries and auction houses. These
establishments alone decide who is to be or not to be the celebrated and wealthiest artists. Jack has shown another
way with his new style of modern art, “Cosmic Extensionalism” and self-promotion, making it possible for an artist to
jump the wall. With help from Star Global International he launched the Million Dollar Cosmic Harley in 2010. It is the
most famous and expensive motorcycle in the world. He has never participated in an auction, yet he has made direct
high-value sales to very wealthy buyers.
As a young boy on a visit to the Smithsonian Museum with his mother, Jack was fixated by a unique and precious stone,
a 733-carat sapphire, the Black Star Sapphire of Queensland. He promised his mother that one day he would buy the
stone and he did. The stone spoke to him and told him he would be a famous artist and to paint exactly 100 paintings
and never another. As a young model and artist in the 1980s in New York, Jack ran with such iconic artists as Andy
Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat, and Keith Haring. Indeed, Andy Warhol gave him the name “The Last Wizard”. I
developed the concept of the “Million Dollar Harley” as a branding tool similar to Warhol’s soup can. My aim was to
connect with a larger and more current generation and this rocketed Jack to super star status. The Cosmic Harley and
artist even reached the cover of the Pakistani Times. They are now well entrenched in the psyche of many people and
currently 2 books have chapters talking about the Cosmic Harley. Any researcher will see numerous articles in
newspapers, magazines, internet, and on radio & TV. While not quite as famous as his uncle, astronaut Neil Armstrong,
Jack is the subject of “The Last Wizard” a movie, staring Damian Chapa and Eric Roberts, being made soon about his life.
Damian was introduced in the 1980s to Jack at a Warhol Party by Details Magazine’s brilliant writer Stephan Saban.
With only 100 paintings in the entire world these colorful, multilayered, acrylic on canvas paintings, are held closely by
savvy collectors who bought directly from the artist himself or through Star Global International. The art has Jack’s
finger prints, thumb prints, hand prints, and DNA in all of the 100 paintings - a process cleverly devised by the artist to
thwart forgeries. However, Star Global is keeping track and can authenticate all of the paintings. Twenty-five paintings
are destined to form the basis of a museum which the artist will open soon. He aims to help other talented artists
showcase their talents. This means only 75 paintings can ever be available for sale.
About 80 of Jack’s paintings are 24” x 36” before framing and are multi-layered and amazingly vibrant. Starting prices
are currently from $1,950,000 rising steeply to $12,000,000. Two paintings, 36” x 48”, are priced at $4,9500,00 each
and one piece de resistance, “Cosmic Starship Arrival”, 48” x 60”, recently priced at over $6,500,000. Alice Walton,
WalMart billionaire and owner of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, architect Narendra Patel, French superstar
Michel Polnareff, Donny York of iconic pop group Sha Na Na, and Eric Roberts are listed among his famous collectors.
Very recently a 4-page in-depth interview with Jack appeared in “Art & Museum”. This was submitted by Derek Culley,
the artist who discovered Damien Hirst. The magazine is part of The Family Office Elite Magazine which goes to high
net worth individuals usually with assets around $100 million + dollars. Jack’s paintings are destined to be virtually priceless
and a renowned art valuation expert told Star Global that the “sky is the limit” since there are only 100 paintings.
It is most unlikely that any of these paintings will find their way to market soon as most current owners are certain that
the contemporary art market is expanding. Owning an Armstrong is a combination of something exclusive and of
beauty to brag about. It’s also about possessing portable wealth. Jack’s story and art are uniquely based on his
ownership of the Black Star Sapphire of Queensland which he and many believe has magical powers of good fortune!
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