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THESE BOOTS, AS WITH HIS 100 COSMIC ‘X’<br />
PAINTINGS ARE ROCKING THE WORLD!<br />
Internationally renowned charismatic<br />
and rebel American artist Jack<br />
Armstrong,who founded the modern<br />
art style “Cosmic “x”, has created<br />
the world’s most expensive boots;<br />
the “Cosmic Cowboy Boots” with a<br />
price tag of $6M. He painted on his<br />
own pristine 1968 Tony Lama boots,<br />
a brand worn by Harry S. Truman and<br />
favoured by many other Presidents.<br />
Armstrong’s latest Cosmic X project<br />
follows the successes of his “Cosmic<br />
Starship Harley”, the world’s most<br />
expensive Harley Davidson V-Rod,<br />
unveiled and sold for over $3M in<br />
2010 and now back on the market<br />
for $10M, and his “Cosmic Star<br />
Cruiser”, a bicycle launched in 2014<br />
at the prestigious Big Boys Toys,<br />
Dubai. With a price tag of $3M it<br />
attracted the wealthiest people in the world and huge media coverage.<br />
Jack called “The Last Wizard” by his friend Andy Warhol proved it is possible to sell<br />
million dollar art without the top galleries and auction houses he railed against for<br />
years. Around 50% of all art is sold privately today because of the high costs of<br />
these establishments. His ‘sticking the boots in’ is perhaps his ultimate statement<br />
against what he called the art cartel. The majority of talented artists never break<br />
through the establishment wall while those few favoured artists become<br />
multi-millionaires. He has promised to help more talented artists break through<br />
this barrier.<br />
He vowed to paint only 100 canvases in his lifetime. His unique Cosmic X style of<br />
art combines extreme colors and textures with words that magically appear<br />
throughout each painting when viewed at different angles, his bold signature<br />
often in the center. Around half of his collection is already in private hands. Listed<br />
amongst his collectors are such names as Alice Walton the Walmart Billionaire,<br />
Narenda Patel, a world-famous architect, Donny York of the group Sha Na Na and<br />
Michel Polnareff the famous French singer. His collectors are not eager to sell. This<br />
scarcity factor guarantees an ever-increasing price.<br />
A movie and a PBS documentary are already planned about his life and in 2020<br />
Armstrong is set to launch the world’s most expensive automobile with a price tag<br />
of $100M along with a line of fashionwear. There really is no stopping him!!<br />
These ‘Cosmic Cowboy Boots’ may not be to everyone’s taste and you may ask<br />
why paint them in the first place? “Well Van Gogh painted boots but never his<br />
own. Not many people know that”. These boots may not be meant for walking but<br />
are certainly meant for talking! Armstrong has definitely scored another FIRST!<br />
2
A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED EARLY MAY<br />
IN DALLAS, TEXAS.<br />
This painting is irreplaceable and one of<br />
only 100 Cosmic X paintings of the famous<br />
American Cosmic artist Jack Armstrong<br />
and worth a staggering $13 Million. The<br />
two main suspects are blaming each other<br />
for the theft and serious threats of bodily<br />
harm.<br />
The painting was on loan to a Dallas<br />
woman Ms. X who had been a long term<br />
friend of the artist’s and she accused her<br />
lodger Mr. Y of stealing the painting and<br />
using it to extort her. Mr. Y alleges that<br />
she took the painting out of the country.<br />
Ms. X mysteriously failed to report the<br />
theft to the police at the time and several<br />
months later, when the artist asked for his<br />
painting back, as he had donated it to a<br />
children’s charity based in New York, she<br />
informed him that his painting had been stolen. Both suspects claim that they are<br />
completely innocent. The Dallas police have a reputation for being thorough and<br />
together with the FBI we have every confidence they will recover the painting. In<br />
the meantime the artist has generously donated another of his 100 only Cosmic X<br />
paintings to the charity.<br />
The artist’s fingerprints and DNA are in all of his 100 originals so I doubt it will<br />
appear on the market for sale as it is easily authenticated. The artist who no longer<br />
resides in the USA often left paintings with various people he knew. This painting<br />
which is unique from the others as it references a Hollywood icon will hopefully be<br />
returned to the artist soon.<br />
3
https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-contemporaryart-market-report-2017<br />
Veteran NYC art dealer William Acquavella often told his clients, “You can remake your<br />
money, but you can’t remake the painting, meaning: you can earn the cost back, but if you<br />
miss the opportunity to buy the work when it is available, it is likely gone forever”.<br />
The spectacular auction price of Basquiat’s Untitled (1982) on 18 May 2017 illustrates the enormous<br />
financial potential of Contemporary Art. Untitled was acquired on May 8, 1984 for $20,900 and 33<br />
years later it fetched $110.5 million. The initial investment yielded an average annual growth rate<br />
of +29.6% for a third of a century, whereas the S&P 500 posted only +6.5% annual growth.<br />
This magazine deals with Jack Armstrong the founder of Cosmic X art form and we believe that his<br />
paintings now appraised in the low millions are set for a meteoric rise this year because of their<br />
scarcity and the expected media blitz. Featured on the front cover are Armstrong’s boots. “Van<br />
Gogh painted pictures of Boots, but did not paint on his own boots. These pristine 1968 Tony Lama<br />
Boots, purchased at Sears, in 1968 by my father, and were only worn a few times by him, and once<br />
by me.“ Shame his uncle, astronaut Neil Armstrong, didn’t borrow them to take the first step for<br />
mankind on the moon! The price tag of $6M may be cheap for an artist who produced only 100<br />
paintings and vowed never to paint another canvas. These boots whilst useless to walk on the<br />
moon will make you unique on earth. These boots are really meant for “talking” not walking!<br />
Armstrong’s fame spread worldwide with the launch of his Cosmic Harley Davidson in 2010 with a<br />
reported sale of over $3M and now offered at $12M by it’s current owner. It is still being written<br />
about today. He launched his ARTbike at Dubai’s Big Boys Toys in 2014 with a price tag of $3M and<br />
created great concern from exhibitors such as Mercedes Benz, as he attracted a major share of the<br />
<strong>pub</strong>licity from both TV and Press. Armstrong returned to his home in Mexico where and has not<br />
been seen in <strong>pub</strong>lic since. Serious illness prevented him from appearing at a Court Hearing in<br />
California to answer a rape allegation which he vehemently denied and which experts in law have<br />
decried as a setup. All sorts of rumors abound as to his whereabouts and there have even been<br />
reports of his death. However his “boots” are alive and well! Given the price of his cosmic<br />
paintings and with savvy collectors such as Alice Walton, the Walmart Billionaire, and world class<br />
architect Narenda Patel, I’m sure many people would like to be in his financial boots.<br />
About half of his art pieces are in private hands and with the contemporary art market red hot and<br />
no eager sellers, the value of his Cosmic X art will explode on the first <strong>pub</strong>lic sale announcement.<br />
Prices of $20M upwards could be achieved in the next few years because of the scarcity factor. You<br />
may want to buy someone a unique present or just add a hedge to your portfolio!<br />
Only 100 people in the world can ever own an Armstrong painting!<br />
STAR GLOBAL INTERNATIONAL INC.<br />
4
BLACK STAR SAPPHIRE<br />
OWNER JACK ARMSTRONG<br />
COSMIC HARLEY DAVIDSON<br />
This magazine catalogues some 46 of the amazing 100 paintings of cosmic artist and art rebel Jack Armstrong whom I’ve<br />
known for 12 years. Letters by the artist himself regarding 3 of his seminal pieces, his Triptych, have been included.<br />
Jack now in his sixties and in declining health is still flamboyant, out spoken and even arrogant at times. However,<br />
underneath this mask, he is a very caring and sensitive man with a deep passion for the millions of forgotten artists who<br />
could never break through the wall of the “art cartel”, his name for the major art galleries and auction houses. These<br />
establishments alone decide who is to be or not to be the celebrated and wealthiest artists. Jack has shown another<br />
way with his new style of modern art, “Cosmic Extensionalism” and self-promotion, making it possible for an artist to<br />
jump the wall. With help from Star Global International he launched the Million Dollar Cosmic Harley in 2010. It is the<br />
most famous and expensive motorcycle in the world. He has never participated in an auction, yet he has made direct<br />
high-value sales to very wealthy buyers.<br />
As a young boy on a visit to the Smithsonian Museum with his mother, Jack was fixated by a unique and precious stone,<br />
a 733-carat sapphire, the Black Star Sapphire of Queensland. He promised his mother that one day he would buy the<br />
stone and he did. The stone spoke to him and told him he would be a famous artist and to paint exactly 100 paintings<br />
and never another. As a young model and artist in the 1980s in New York, Jack ran with such iconic artists as Andy<br />
Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat, and Keith Haring. Indeed, Andy Warhol gave him the name “The Last Wizard”. I<br />
developed the concept of the “Million Dollar Harley” as a branding tool similar to Warhol’s soup can. My aim was to<br />
connect with a larger and more current generation and this rocketed Jack to super star status. The Cosmic Harley and<br />
artist even reached the cover of the Pakistani Times. They are now well entrenched in the psyche of many people and<br />
currently 2 books have chapters talking about the Cosmic Harley. Any researcher will see numerous articles in<br />
newspapers, magazines, internet, and on radio & TV. While not quite as famous as his uncle, astronaut Neil Armstrong,<br />
Jack is the subject of “The Last Wizard” a movie, staring Damian Chapa and Eric Roberts, being made soon about his life.<br />
Damian was introduced in the 1980s to Jack at a Warhol Party by Details Magazine’s brilliant writer Stephan Saban.<br />
With only 100 paintings in the entire world these colorful, multilayered, acrylic on canvas paintings, are held closely by<br />
savvy collectors who bought directly from the artist himself or through Star Global International. The art has Jack’s<br />
finger prints, thumb prints, hand prints, and DNA in all of the 100 paintings - a process cleverly devised by the artist to<br />
thwart forgeries. However, Star Global is keeping track and can authenticate all of the paintings. Twenty-five paintings<br />
are destined to form the basis of a museum which the artist will open soon. He aims to help other talented artists<br />
showcase their talents. This means only 75 paintings can ever be available for sale.<br />
About 80 of Jack’s paintings are 24” x 36” before framing and are multi-layered and amazingly vibrant. Starting prices<br />
are currently from $1,950,000 rising steeply to $12,000,000. Two paintings, 36” x 48”, are priced at $4,9500,00 each<br />
and one piece de resistance, “Cosmic Starship Arrival”, 48” x 60”, recently priced at over $6,500,000. Alice Walton,<br />
WalMart billionaire and owner of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, architect Narenda Patel, French superstar<br />
Michel Polnareff, Donny York of iconic pop group Sha Na Na, and Eric Roberts are listed among his famous collectors.<br />
Very recently a 4-page in-depth interview with Jack appeared in “Art & Museum”. This was submitted by Derek Culley,<br />
the artist who discovered Damien Hirst. The magazine is part of The Family Office Elite Magazine which goes to high<br />
net worth individuals usually with assets around $100 million + dollars. Jack’s paintings are destined to be virtually priceless<br />
and a renowned art valuation expert told Star Global that the “sky is the limit” since there are only 100 paintings.<br />
It is most unlikely that any of these paintings will find their way to market soon as most current owners are certain that<br />
the contemporary art market is expanding. Owning an Armstrong is a combination of something exclusive and of<br />
beauty to brag about. It’s also about possessing portable wealth. Jack’s story and art are uniquely based on his<br />
ownership of the Black Star Sapphire of Queensland which he and many believe has magical powers of good fortune!<br />
5
Nino barrette is an art dealer, critic and lecturer<br />
with over 20 years of experience curating<br />
international exhibits and museum collections.<br />
The art of Jack Armstrong is fascinating to many and the question commonly asked of all pure abstract<br />
expressionist painters is “what makes this special?”<br />
Well of course, the response to that question is complicated and different for everyone as art is subjective so<br />
there is no right or wrong answer when interpreting the artists’ work.<br />
Jack Armstrong’s “Cosmic Extensionalism” is a new step forward in the evolution of art forms and it is often<br />
compared to the style that many associate with Jackson Pollock or his peers of the day. Is that a fair<br />
comparison?<br />
In my opinion, the two artists share a commonality in that they both are very deliberate in their technique<br />
with nothing random or accidental occurring in their paintings. Furthermore, the works have a rhythmic dance<br />
of intertwining paint and they share an audacity and boldness to break new ground separating themselves<br />
from the masses. Accepting those similarities, one next has to recognize the significant differences between<br />
the artists’ works to gain an understanding and appreciation of the unique art style that Jack Armstrong has<br />
created.<br />
Jacks “Cosmic Art” is driven by a mystical force that emanated from the “Black Sapphire of Queensland.” That<br />
force compelled him to create a very specific number of paintings in a very specific manner. Each of the 100<br />
works is deliberately constructed with the lines, figures and movements creating the appearance of an<br />
accidental, non-compositional technique. The mysterious messages and words found in the lines of the<br />
painting are purposefully and strategically placed to deliver the cosmic energy within the painting to the<br />
viewer.<br />
The few owners of Jack’s “Cosmic Art” have a common experience in that they all mention an indescribable<br />
energy that seemingly vibrates from the paintings as they get near for viewings. This energy washes over them<br />
and creates a feeling of rejuvenation and vibrancy.<br />
With Pollack, it was likely a motivation to create artwork that separated him from the traditional style of the<br />
day and to that end he created his signature “drip and splash” or “action painting” technique, which was very<br />
avant-garde and revolutionized what was considered “fine art”.<br />
Regardless of opinion on what is and what is not “art”, Jack Armstrong is an exceptionally talented artist that<br />
has developed a unique body of work that is extremely finite and cannot be repeated or duplicated. The fact<br />
that collectors, investors, other artists and critics value the works in the millions speaks volumes to the<br />
current value and future speculative value of the artwork. All past fame and accolades aside, Jack’s art speaks<br />
for itself and much like it’s brash creator… it speaks very loudly to those that can hear its message.<br />
6
FRONT COVER 5. ANCIENTFIRE 21. STAR SAPPHIRE<br />
$6M Tony Lama BOOTS... 6. 63<strong>MAG</strong>IC 22. STARCOBRA 500<br />
IAIN HAMMER— <strong>2018</strong> 7. COSMIC STARSHIP ARRIVAL 23. STARONEstar<br />
ROBERT STAR—PREFACE 8. COSMIC EXTENSIONALISM 24. STARSHIP<br />
NINO BARRETT FINE ARTS 9. JACKZEN 25. STARSEX<br />
CONTENTS LIST + 5 PAINTINGS 10. COSMICSEAS<br />
26. STARPOWER ZEN<br />
ALICE WALTON - COLLECTOR 11. LA FEMMEGODDESS 27. STARstarDNA<br />
DONNY YORK - COLLECTOR 12. MELTINGSKYDAY 28. ULTIMATE <strong>MAG</strong>IC<br />
THE LAST WIZARD - MOVIE 13. MINDTRANCE 29. UNIVERSALSTARLIGHT<br />
ABOUT JACK ARMSTRONG 14. ORIGINS 30. WE R 1<br />
ART&MUSEUM –INTERVIEW 15. POLNAREFF ROCKSPARIS 07 31. WILD STAR<br />
GOLDEN SERIES 36” X 60” 1-4 16. PRIMAL969<br />
32. YES<br />
1. GOLDEN COSMIC DREAM 17. PRIMALSUN #1 33-36 TRIPTYCH<br />
2. COSMIC GODDESS 18. PURPLE<strong>MAG</strong>IC BACK COVER:<br />
3. COSMIC FINAL_<strong>MAG</strong>IC 1 19. PURPLEMOONS SEMINAL PAINTING<br />
4. HUMANITY_COSMIC 20. STARANGELS WARHOL NAKED<br />
208388 BUBBLEGUM ORGASM I<strong>MAG</strong>INE<br />
THE LAST WIZARD<br />
COSMICSEX<br />
7
8
I’m used to hearing older Sha Na Na<br />
fans say “That was my era” about the early rock n’ roll<br />
years. I’ve understood in a limited way, but now that I’m<br />
old enough to savor my own coming of mature age and<br />
its historical setting, the ripening of post-World War Two<br />
American confidence and our winning the Cold War sit<br />
more solidly as defining elements than the overly<br />
revered Woodstock festival or the classic movie Grease,<br />
both of which I performed in. More than cultural landmarks<br />
like those, the defining impression I have of “my<br />
era” has turned out to be the freewheeling exuberance<br />
of expression that I witnessed in New York City and Los<br />
Angeles as the century ripened. There was never a lack<br />
of remarkable creative characters in either of the towns<br />
where I spent most of my time.<br />
I had bought into the hippy sandals earthiness of the 60s<br />
completely enough to find myself repulsed by the “me<br />
decade” garishness that came prancing in with the disco<br />
glitter of the 70s. Yet the 1970s turned out to be the<br />
decade for television stardom and peak earnings for me<br />
and my rock n’ roll group ShaNaNa. It was also when<br />
the “misery index” worsened for my countrymen so as to<br />
bring their rejecting Jimmy Carter’s presidency and<br />
favoring Ronald Reagan’s claim that big government was<br />
“the problem.” Then followed the “morning in America”<br />
1980s with their economic growth and the disintegration<br />
of Soviet Communism, and it was evident that “the<br />
American century” could turn out to be, despite all the<br />
sporadic heartbreak and disorder, actually a valid<br />
descriptive phrase. Freewheeling ambition, excess, spiritual revivalism, and controversy were so common that<br />
we hardly took notice, and the flamboyance in the art of a young Jack Armstrong (even in the entourage of a<br />
celebrated Andy Warhol) could go un-noticed too. It caught my notice as a compelling embodiment of the<br />
spirit of the unfolding age that is “my era” only here in the new century.<br />
Seems to me, what we collect in art should reflect the frivolous side of ourselves along with the more<br />
pensive. I find both, to my surprise, in Jack Armstrong’s work. His paintings’ stunning richness of hue, before<br />
we knew computer graphics would be able to mimic it ever in our lifetime, typified our late-cold-war-era<br />
brashness. His casually hiding his own name in plain sight, and hiding some little-understood names of other<br />
things in plain site- - it’s a playful permissiveness that’s just bulls-eye on that brashness. And in my painting,<br />
titled “Tulemagic,” I find a glimpse of it that requires a gaze, again and yet again. I enjoy how it always<br />
provokes friends’ reactions, and for my own part, I’ve even recorded a song about it.<br />
9
TULE<strong>MAG</strong>IC<br />
“Seems to me, what we collect in<br />
art should reflect the frivolous<br />
side of ourselves along with the<br />
more pensive. I find both, to my<br />
surprise, in Jack Armstrong’s<br />
work. His Paintings’ stunning<br />
richness of hue, before we knew<br />
computer graphics would be able<br />
to mimic it ever in our lifetime,<br />
typified our late-cold-war-era<br />
brashness. His casually hiding his<br />
own name in plain sight, and hiding<br />
some little-understood names of<br />
other things in plain sight - - it’s<br />
a playful permissiveness that’s<br />
just bulls-eye on that brashness.<br />
And in my painting, titled<br />
“Tulemagic,” I find a glimpse of it<br />
that requires a gaze, again and<br />
yet again. I enjoy how it always<br />
provokes friends’ reactions and<br />
for my own part, I even recorded<br />
a song about it.<br />
10
The biopic about the modern cosmic artist is entitled “The Last Wizard” (A nickname given to Jack by his close<br />
friend the world renowned artist Andy Warhol). Chapa said Details Magazine's brilliant writer Stephan Saban<br />
introduced him to Warhol in New York during the 80’s. "It was there I also met a young up-and-coming model,<br />
Jack Armstrong."<br />
Jack Armstrong later became a very wealthy and controversial artist.<br />
Chapa also stated, “When I heard of the recent tragic but compelling story of Jack Armstrong’s controversial<br />
life, and my memories of Warhol/Armstrong in the 80’s, I began to get impassioned by the project.”<br />
Controversial filmmaker Damian Chapa also produced 'El Padrino' in which Chapa directed Academy Award<br />
winners Faye Dunaway, Jennifer Tilly, and Gary Busey, along with Academy Award nominee Brad Dourif. Chapa<br />
is no stranger to biopics; Chapa is the only filmmaker in the world who has produced and directed films on the<br />
life of Marlon Brando and Roman Polanski.<br />
Chapa won the best director and best drama awards for "Brando Unauthorized" at the New York International<br />
Film/Video Fest 2010. He also won the Best Production Award for his "Polanski Unauthorized" at Indy Fest.<br />
Recently, he was nominated for two NAFCA awards for his film "The DSK Story".<br />
In an interview, Chapa said, "Alleged felon/artist Jack Armstrong is right up my biopic alley."<br />
Star Global International, who was the creative force behind the “Million Dollar Harley” (painted by Armstrong),<br />
has been hired as a consultant for the movie.<br />
Many people don’t know that Jack Armstrong was the nephew of the famous astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first<br />
man to walk on the moon.<br />
Chapa said, "The film will be surreal at moments surrounding the strange story of how Jack Armstrong as a child<br />
spoke to the "Black Star of Queensland," a black, sapphire jewel that was in the Smithsonian Museum for years.<br />
The Black Star spoke back to Jack Armstrong telling him he was going to be the most famous cosmic artist ever."<br />
Chapa said he, "won’t shy away from the rape allegations that led to the arrest of the artist Jack Armstrong."<br />
The production begins on November 22nd, 2016, in New York City.<br />
11
JACK OWNER OF ‘THE BLACK STAR SAPPHIRE OF QUEENSLAND’ REPUTED TO BE WORTH $100 MILLION.<br />
LAST SEEN BY THE PUBLIC AT THE ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM IN 2007. THE STONE GAVE HIM BOTH THE<br />
INSPIRATION AND ENERGY TO PAINT 100 COSMIC CANVASSES. HIS BELIEF IN THE <strong>MAG</strong>ICAL POWERS OF<br />
THIS WORLD FAMOUS 733-CARET GEMSTONE HAS MADE HIM VOW NEVER TO PAINT ANOTHER CANVAS.<br />
THE STONE, THE STORY AND THE STARS ARE WELL ALIGNED FOR A METIORIC PRICE RISE!<br />
JACK ARMSTRONG’S WORLD FAMOUS COSMIC HARLEY DAVIDSON - THE<br />
MOST EXPENSIVE MOTORCYCLE IN THE WORLD ! - LAUNCHED 2010. IT<br />
IS ON THE MARKET THIS YEAR AT $10 MILLION.<br />
JACK ARMSTRONG’S WORLD FAMOUS COSMICSTAR CRUISER<br />
ARTBike– LAUNCHED IN DUBAI 2014 AT $3 MILLION.<br />
Jack Armstrong, has been<br />
painting since he was 5<br />
years old. After arriving in<br />
NYC in 1979, he became<br />
friends with Andy Warhol,<br />
Jean-Michel Basquiat and<br />
Keith Haring. In 1984 after<br />
turning down a solo<br />
exhibition with the Leo<br />
Castelli Gallery in NYC, Mr.<br />
Armstrong has maintained<br />
his revolutionary antidealer<br />
stance and has<br />
never been represented by<br />
a dealer.<br />
JACK ARMSTRONG HOLDING HIS BLACK STAR SAPPHIRE, Mr. Armstrong founded<br />
THE LARGEST STONE OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD.<br />
“Cosmic Extensionalism”<br />
revolutionizing modern art. Armstrong’s use of extreme<br />
color, texture and light with words magically appearing at<br />
different angles in the paint, allow viewers to experience<br />
universal cosmic energy, coexisting with his belief in<br />
inter-planetary and multi-dimensional extensionalism.<br />
Current prices and values range between $1.5M—$10M.<br />
Alice Walton, Michel Polnareff, Narendra Patel, Donny<br />
York, and Eric Roberts are listed amongst the wealth<br />
owners of his work.<br />
ANCIENT UNIVERSAL ROYAL CHILD<strong>MAG</strong>IC_COSMIC COSMIC DREAMSTAR FUTURE<strong>MAG</strong>IC 1 STAR KEY #733<br />
12
13
Welcome to the summer issue of<br />
Art & Museum Magazine. This<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lication is a supplement of<br />
Family Office Magazine, the only<br />
dedicated Family Office<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lication with a readership of<br />
over 46,000 comprising some of<br />
the wealthiest people in the<br />
world and their advisors. Many<br />
have a keen interest in the arts,<br />
some are connoisseurs and other<br />
are investors.<br />
Many people do not understand<br />
the role of a Family Office.<br />
This is traditionally a private<br />
wealth management office that<br />
handles the investments, governance<br />
and legal regulation for a<br />
wealthy family, typically those<br />
with over £100m+ assets.<br />
Art & Museum is distributed with Family Office Magazine and will also appear at many of the largest finance,<br />
banking and Family Office Events around the World.<br />
Media Kit. - www.ourmediakit.co.uk<br />
We recently formed several strategic partnerships with organisations including The British Art Fair and<br />
Russian Art Week.<br />
Prior to this we have attended and covered many other international art fairs and exhibitions for our other<br />
<strong>pub</strong>lications.<br />
We are very receptive to new ideas for stories and editorials. We understand that one person’s art is<br />
another person’s poison, and this is one of the many ideas we will explore in the upcoming issues of ‘Art &<br />
Museum’.<br />
www.familyofficemag.com<br />
www.art-museum.com<br />
14
INTERVIEW WITH JACK ARMSTRONG submitted by<br />
DEREK CULLEY printed in Family Office magazine<br />
ART & MUSEUM summer 2017 edition. Derek Culley<br />
discovered world famous artist ‘DAMIEN HIRST’.<br />
by Derek Culley<br />
Jack Armstrong has been painting since<br />
he was five years old. After arriving in<br />
NYC in 1979,he became friends with<br />
Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat &<br />
Keith Haring. In 1984, after turning<br />
down a solo exhibition with Castelli<br />
Gallery in NYC, Armstrong has<br />
maintained his revolutionary anti-dealer<br />
stance and has never been represented<br />
by a dealer. Between 1994 & 1997;<br />
Armstrong repurchased his early work<br />
and destroyed all paintings, vowing to<br />
create a new style for Modern /<br />
Contemporary Art. The years 1900 &<br />
2000 witnessed Armstrong founding<br />
“cosmic Extensionalism” revolutionizing<br />
Modern / Contemporary Art.<br />
Armstrong’s use of extreme colour,<br />
texture and light with words magically<br />
appearing at different angles in the<br />
paint, allow viewers to experience the<br />
universal cosmic energy, coexisting with<br />
Armstrong’s belief In inter-planetary<br />
and multi-dimensional Extensionalism.<br />
This is the foundation of Armstrong’s<br />
revolutionary work. Armstrong’s total<br />
output to date features 100 Cosmic<br />
15
Extensionalism Paintings coupled with<br />
the most valuable motorcycle and art<br />
bicycle in the world. Plans for 2019<br />
include the introduction of the most<br />
expensive art automobile in the world.<br />
Other projects include the staging of<br />
the “Cosmic Firebird Ballet” Dance<br />
Concert choreographed by Valerie<br />
Mahabio plus 3 limited edition coffee<br />
table art books <strong>pub</strong>lished by<br />
Armstrong.<br />
A & M:<br />
How did growing up in Midwestern<br />
United States form and inform your<br />
ambitions and dreams?<br />
Jack Armstrong:<br />
Growing up in Omaha in the 1960’s<br />
made you dream. You dreamed of<br />
California, Paris, Rome, Sydney, New<br />
York, London and all the Islands you<br />
saw in travel magazines. Rio to Bali to<br />
Asia.. The dreams took me to the most<br />
beautiful beaches in the world and the<br />
great cities with the finest art<br />
museums. I dreamed to paint what<br />
my hero Van Gogh did not have time<br />
to achieve, in the ten year period in<br />
which he worked. Omaha was a cattle<br />
stockyard town on the Missouri River<br />
with one gem of a museum named<br />
“The Jocelyn” Museum of Art. It was a<br />
pink granite palace that shone in the<br />
sun, given to the city by one famous<br />
local family that changed my life. I saw<br />
the old west masterpieces of Charles<br />
Russell and Frederic Remington and<br />
the treasures of the Pharaoh “King<br />
Tut.” But Van Gogh changed my life<br />
when I viewed his self-portrait and<br />
discovered myself. The golden mask of<br />
the “boy” King of Egypt seen thru the<br />
eyes of a seven-year-old boy was<br />
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magical. Inside a Greek Temple, on the Plains of<br />
Nebraska, this Museum became my center of magic &<br />
wonder, that would inspire my journey to find the<br />
“center” of my own magic, & somewhere, somehow,<br />
inside of myself, create a revolution of light and color<br />
that would shine as brightly in modern art, as Tut’s<br />
golden & turquoise mask, shone in his time.<br />
A&M:<br />
Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat are<br />
modern icons and readily recognised major artists. As<br />
a contemporary and friend of above artists; you have<br />
shunned Galleries and destroyed early works, focusing<br />
on producing the “100 Paintings”. Please discuss.<br />
Jack Armstrong:<br />
Having finished the 100 paintings in 2010 that I<br />
promised myself would be my total output as an artist<br />
after I repurchased my early work in the 1990’s and<br />
burned all of the paintings, I was re-imagining my early<br />
dream of painting a Harley Davidson. My early works<br />
were no different than what had been achieved by<br />
thousands of artists, even though I was the only artist<br />
ever in NYC, that explained to the most important<br />
Modern Art Dealer on the planet : Leo Castelli, that I<br />
was “not” ready for the solo show he offered me, in<br />
his Castelli Gallery in New York (1984). .“My friend<br />
Andy Warhol did not speak to me for months. Only<br />
Larry Rivers & Keith Haring understood. Roy<br />
Lichtenstein and Jean-Michel Basquiat were in their<br />
own world, and I went deeper into my own<br />
non-dealer, non-gallery experience.”<br />
A&M:<br />
Did this route to independence affect your ability for<br />
artistic recognition and successful sales?<br />
Jack Armstrong:<br />
It depends on which yard sticks one uses to measure<br />
success. Nicknamed “The Last Wizard” by Andy<br />
Warhol; who saw my work as more alchemy than art; I<br />
have followed “a true” path in the execution of my<br />
dreams and works. Amongst my peers and critics, I am<br />
respected. Collectors have acknowledged my work. For<br />
example, Walmart’s Alice Walton, Narendra Patel and<br />
Michel Polnareff, are internationally known collectors<br />
of my art works. My work is among the highest and<br />
fastest appreciating artwork in the world. My paintings<br />
have been sold for 700 thousand dollars to Six million<br />
dollars. As I point out above, my no-dealer and<br />
independent approach to collectors and critics have<br />
increased the value and uniqueness’ of my “100<br />
Paintings”. Cosmic Extensionalism is my religion.<br />
A &M:<br />
I am intrigued as to what inspires you and what<br />
“Cosmic Extensionalism” is about.<br />
Jack Armstrong:<br />
My goal and my muse, which is really the child still lost<br />
in wonder among paintings: in the “Muse”- ums of my<br />
youth, was to create something that people had never<br />
experienced before. “Cosmic Extensionalism” (founded<br />
1999 – 2000) which I named the style I paint in, is<br />
more than a new school of art. It is everything I<br />
dreamed possible long ago. Art dealers, gallery<br />
personnel, curators and art history experts today<br />
speak in gibberish. This is what they have been taught.<br />
Vincent Van Gogh taught us thru his life and work that<br />
the “Essence of life itself” only becomes visible when<br />
we believe in the power of our “own” creation. So all<br />
the theories of people who do not create “anything”<br />
except meaningless words to try and explain the<br />
“meaning” in many paintings that have no meaning &<br />
are hung on walls in the great dealer galleries and<br />
museums of the world, supported by “words” to<br />
somehow validate their “worth” in terms of price and<br />
significance seems absurd when considering Van Gogh.<br />
For me “Cosmic Extensionalism” is universal magic, a<br />
cosmic connection to the energy of trillions of galaxy’s<br />
and Channelling that power to everything we do or<br />
create. It is a universal essence of life, colour, magic<br />
and light.<br />
A&M:<br />
Why did you choose to immortalise the Harley<br />
Davidson to feature among your art signatures of a life<br />
time’s work?<br />
Jack Armstrong:<br />
Seeing my first Corvette’s in 1963-1966 was the same<br />
for a young boy, as looking at masterpieces in art<br />
museums. American dreams, on wheels. Exotic bright<br />
coloured paint, the fastest, most beautiful cars I<br />
thought, in the world. Listening to “Engines” that<br />
sounded like thunder-gods became our religion. Harley<br />
Davidson’s from that period were radical icons of lust.<br />
The ultimate, piece of motor art. In the annual custom<br />
auto and motorcycle shows in the Omaha Coliseum,<br />
the velvet ropes surrounding these wondrous<br />
machines became my friends, as I clung to the soft<br />
ropes with small hands and large dreams, I whispered<br />
to myself, “someday I will paint the finest art motor<br />
cycle and Sports car, in the world.” Gazing at those<br />
incredible machines, it seemed to me then, and still<br />
today, which everyone who ever painted no matter<br />
how high the level of perfection that they always went<br />
deep, in the sense of thickness of paint. No matter<br />
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how many layers of paint & lacquer that<br />
were applied, in the end, no matter what<br />
style and colour or pattern, all the same<br />
technique. Flat surface, without any<br />
texture, surface height or “explosion” of<br />
madness. Beauty without magic. I saw<br />
the possibility then, (in 1963) which was<br />
still true in 2010 when I finally achieved<br />
my childhood dream of painting what I<br />
believe to be, the most revolutionary art<br />
motorcycle in history. In 2009 I painted<br />
one shining new, Harley V-Rod that<br />
would become my art signature, of a<br />
lifetime’s work, & planning that could<br />
take me into Vincent’s cosmic world and<br />
beyond. Van Gogh was the first artist in<br />
history to create Revolutionary art.<br />
A&M:<br />
The Cosmic Starship Harley Davidson sold<br />
for $3million (2012) and was followed by<br />
the $3 million Cosmic Star Cruiser ART-<br />
Bike. What are your plans for the future?<br />
Jack Armstrong:<br />
I am in the planning stage to create the<br />
most expensive car in history, A “COSMIC<br />
ROLLS ROYCE” To be released for 2019,<br />
model to be announced, but it will be “a<br />
cosmic starcloud-convertible, price<br />
$100M. U.S. Dollars, with its own “English<br />
made” - 2019 “Cosmic Triumph” Motorcycle,<br />
(model also to be announced.)<br />
Additionally, this $6 Million Dollar Art<br />
Motorcycle will be mounted on its own<br />
custom clear plastic trailer and attached<br />
to the car. I choose to open this final<br />
exhibition of my career, combining the<br />
Classic British Marks of Rolls & Triumph,<br />
which will be an “Artistic Triumph” for<br />
the <strong>pub</strong>lic and for art. Creating magic<br />
things change when positive things are<br />
done. Art is the most powerful force of<br />
change in the world as is love. Triumph<br />
and Rolls are pieces of art, and after they<br />
are magically transformed into rolling art<br />
objects through the vision of “Cosmic<br />
Extensionalism”, perhaps I can then<br />
change the life of other’s who need<br />
assistance. I would also mention that 1/2<br />
of the sale price of the Rolls and the<br />
Triumph will be donated to children’s<br />
charity of our choice to be announced.<br />
Because children; are truly the world’s<br />
future.<br />
Source of Biographical Data & answers:<br />
“Cosmic Dream Machine”<br />
www.jackarmstrongartist.com<br />
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1. The "COSMIC STARSHIP HARLEY:" Harley Davidson Motorcycle.<br />
2. “THE COSMIC FIREBIRD" 48” x 48” original acrylic on canvas painting.<br />
3. "WARHOL NAKED" 36” x 24” original acrylic on canvas painting.<br />
These 3 pieces listed above are my personal Triptych of Art, as the Cosmic Harley Davidson was completed in 2010,<br />
exactly {500} Years after the famous "Garden of Earthly Delights" triptych was completed by Bosch; in about 1510,<br />
now in the Prado Museum, Madrid." Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, oil on oak panels, 220 cm ×<br />
389 cm (87 in × 153 in), Museo del Prado, Madrid. Each of the 3 objects listed, were the seminal moments in the<br />
history of the art form I created, Cosmic Extensionalism.<br />
I feel the same way about the Cosmic Starship Harley, and the Cosmic Firebird Painting, works of art standing alongside<br />
Warhol Naked that will always define me, and the art creation, Cosmic Extensionalism. All 3 objects of my art,<br />
are each the reflection of the same dream, and the same artistic truth. Through Warhol, and all the visionary artists<br />
that came before him, I understood that to be the best, you simply could not conform or alter your vision, to please<br />
a dealer or a buyer of my work, because the conformity would have destroyed the unique imagination behind the<br />
masterpiece. Once imagination is removed, there is no masterpiece. This is true in all the arts, from the Individual<br />
art masterpiece, to film, music, & poetry—No Passion, No Imagination, No Fire, No Art. There is nothing of value In<br />
any object that was created without passion. There have been millions of paintings created and sold throughout<br />
time, and the few, that achieve the highest amounts at auction, become extraordinary examples of the artist's<br />
work, and the most uniquely powerful objects in our time.<br />
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The rarest ones, most reflective of the artist's life and style, become famous. When you say<br />
the words, Van Gogh, you think of Starry Night, or Yellow, Sun Flowers. The art would not<br />
exist without Vincent's creation. But Vincent would not have existed, as we now understand<br />
him, had he not created the seminal piece of his "new" style of art, which is his masterpiece,<br />
"Starry Night." Today, at auction it would bring 1 Billion Dollars or more, because it is the<br />
painting that most closely defines and identifies the artist in the art he created.<br />
There are many rare things in the world, that have rarity yet are similar to other things of the<br />
same type. My art and my life have only one meaning, and it can be discovered my passion<br />
for my work, which is reflected in my writing about my art. My art is not rare because there<br />
are few things like it available on the market, but is rare because there is nothing else on<br />
earth that is like it.<br />
When I’m dead and when my art will sell for 1 Billion Dollars each, for Warhol Naked, The<br />
Cosmic Firebird, or the Cosmic Harley, people that want to own a piece of the artist's soul,<br />
who created the masterpiece, will gladly exchange money for that rare thing that can never<br />
be duplicated, the original masterpiece that is most closely associated with the artist in question,<br />
and the pieces that will always reign supreme at auction.<br />
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When I’m dead and when my art will sell for 1 Billion Dollars each, for Warhol Naked, The<br />
Cosmic Firebird, or the Cosmic Harley, people that want to own a piece of the artist's soul,<br />
who created the masterpiece, will gladly exchange money for that rare thing that can never<br />
be duplicated, the original masterpiece that is most closely associated with the artist in<br />
question, and the pieces that will always reign supreme at auction.<br />
These 3 art objects, will continue to define my art and my life's work, "Cosmic Extensionalism,"<br />
long after I am gone, and my triptych is written about. If I had not imagined and then<br />
created these 3 objects, I strongly feel, my work as an artist would still be unknown, as my<br />
connection with cosmic energy, had not been completely realized, before 2001, and my creation<br />
of Warhol Naked. In the time period of 2001-2010, every great painting including the<br />
Cosmic Motorcycle, was produced.<br />
The Cosmic Firebird Painting Created in 2007, my middle period of Cosmic Extensionalism,<br />
for which I later produced 2 Ballets done for film, is the culmination of everything I realized<br />
in my cosmic connection to the universal magic in art. It is nothing like any painting, before<br />
or after, and that is what places it exactly in the same category as Warhol Naked. Indeed<br />
there will never be anything like either one of these originals. The third and final piece of the<br />
puzzle of my Art Triptych, symbolizing the completion of my cosmic art journey of discovery,<br />
and celebration, happened; when the painting became alive in the lights of hundreds of photographers<br />
from around the world. The most iconic art motorcycle in history, the "Cosmic"<br />
Harley Davidson, literally came to life on Oct. 21, 2010, In Los Angeles. It has never been<br />
duplicated by any artist, or any corporation, and it will remain iconic as long as people continue<br />
to value original concepts that were unique, in capturing the attention of the entire<br />
world, and not singularly only the artistic world. I believe the bold and exotic coloring and<br />
shading of paint used in the creation of these three individual pieces, actually become one,<br />
“A Triptych”, when viewed with the Harley in the center of the other originals. By channeling<br />
this unlimited cosmic energy into my work, and in creating cosmic extensions inside my art,<br />
is the true foundation of cosmic X, a kind of art magic, that Warhol recognized when he said<br />
my work was more alchemy than art, thus dubbing me, “The Last Wizard of art," in 1985. I<br />
had been experimenting with this energy and magic my entire life until it formed into a cognitive<br />
reality late in 1999, with "The Cosmic Style of Art," that I am known for today.<br />
Vincent Van Gogh painted for the last ten years of his life and died at 37 years old. His seminal<br />
paintings were done in the last two years of his life. My work has taken over forty years<br />
to reach my peak. The best were created between 2000-2010. Exactly ten years, like Vincent.<br />
"These 3 pieces are the rarest in symbolic "essence," of art and artist, and each contain the<br />
meaning inside Cosmic Extensionalism Art, 1. Imagined, 2. Defined, and 3. Created, in the<br />
21st Century. When you see them, you will believe in them also. This is my Triptych of<br />
Cosmic Art, and its Extensionalism into the cosmic magic, discovered in my work, by Warhol.<br />
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This original painting displayed on the back cover is acrylic on canvas was painted in 2001.<br />
"WARHOL NAKED" is my seminal piece in the creation of Cosmic Extensionalism a technique<br />
of art which I founded in 1999, and is individually exclusive to myself.<br />
This work was shown internationally in the media and on the internet in the promotion of the<br />
"Cosmic Starship Harley Davidson", the world's most valuable Art Motorcycle. The painting<br />
is a tribute and a celebration of my friendship with Andy Warhol who called me "The last<br />
wizard of art" in 1985, shortly before his death.<br />
Mr. Warhol taught me that individuality can overcome all opposition in life and in art. When<br />
you create something so unique and different from the norm, it takes years for the critics and<br />
the art world to catch up with proper recognition and pricing, and embrace the new concept.<br />
But as with all great artists as Van Gogh, Gauguin, Modigliani and Warhol, the pricing rises<br />
with the rarity and uniqueness, of the process used. This is what makes the creation of a<br />
masterpiece possible. The boldness to paint a vision that has never been painted before of<br />
something so different and rare, that it becomes iconic, and represents the essence of the<br />
artist; and his work.<br />
"Warhol Naked" is my vision of a man who created "soup-cans" as art, and was laughed at by<br />
the critics of his time, until he transformed himself into the most iconic-figure in the art<br />
world. Most of the soup cans did not sell when they were first exhibited in 1962 at $100. The<br />
lack of sales did not deter Warhol, in 1962, as it did not deter Van Gogh or Modigliani earlier.<br />
Visionaries are free from the false concept of acceptance or non-acceptance of themselves, in<br />
their ideas, or in their creations, which limits all non visionaries into accepting conventional<br />
thinking instead of creating revolutionary ideas and artistic invention.<br />
By the time of his death in 1987 Warhol was the most famous artist in the world. The bright,<br />
bold, deeply shaped red, shining surface of the painting over the blue graffiti cosmic art<br />
written with the word “Warhol”, in "bright-white" acrylic paint, symbolizes Warhol's triumph<br />
over the art system of his time.<br />
Now everything is considered art, and everyone an artist, because of Andy's work, in art and<br />
film. Now everyone is a film maker. The freedom to be human, and try everything is the most<br />
basic human right in the world. Warhol was the liberator, of the human artistic experience.<br />
He was my friend, and this painting symbolizes my breakthrough in my own process of<br />
becoming the best individually unique artist of my time, and shunning all art systems. Cosmic<br />
Extensionalism Art is a direct result of the freedom I experienced when discussing art and<br />
technique, with the most famous pop artist in the world, Andy Warhol.<br />
WARHOL NAKED IS MY FINEST WORK, AND IN THE FUTURE WILL BE A LASTING ICON OF THIS CENTURY'S<br />
MOST APPRECIATED, NEW ART. EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE FOR THE VISIONARY WHO BELIEVES IN THEIR<br />
OWN WORK, AND THEIR OWN VISION. MOST PEOPLE AND ARTISTS IN THE WORLD ARE TAUGHT TO<br />
BELIEVE IN THE VISION OF OTHERS. THE ORIGINAL PAINTING "WARHOL NAKED" IS MY FINEST VISION.<br />
ARTIST JACK ARMSTRONG, September 14, 2017<br />
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