SG MAG DEC 2018 MAIN_4
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
1. FRONT COVER 26-32. PAINTINGS<br />
2. CONTENTS 33-37. ART & MUSEUM<br />
3. SEASONS GREETINGS 37-43. PAINTINGS<br />
4. ROBERT STAR YEAR END 18 44-47. TRIPTYCH<br />
5. NINO BARRETTE CRITIC BACK COSMIC HARLEY<br />
6. ALICE WALTON COLLECTOR<br />
7. THE LAST WIZARD – MOVIE<br />
8. TIMES SQUARE NEW YORK<br />
9. STEVE MCQUEEN STOLEN<br />
10. $6 MILLION BOOTS<br />
11. $50 MILLION PRICE<br />
12. BOOK LAUNCH<br />
13. $100M BUGARTTI<br />
14. DONNY YORK - COLLECTOR<br />
15. ABOUT JACK ARMSTRONG<br />
16. WARHOL MAKED<br />
17-22. PAINTINGS<br />
23-25. THE LAST WIZARD COMPARISONS<br />
2
3
Dear Reader,<br />
The global Contemporary Art Market is growing rapidly and in a balanced way. For the first time, since the 2008<br />
crash, the main health indicators are all positive (June 2017-June <strong>2018</strong>). (a) The global auction turnover rose +19%,<br />
reaching $1.9 billion. (b) The volume of transactions grew +17% with 66,850 Contemporary lots sold. (c) The global<br />
unsold rate remained stable at 39%. (d) The price index of Contemporary art increased by +18.5% (e) The three main<br />
indicators were almost equal at about +18%. The 66,850 transactions recorded over the 12-month period around the<br />
world reflect an unprecedented level of activity on the global Contemporary Art Market. The number of auction<br />
transactions has increased 51/2 x since 2000/2001 while the segment’s total auction turnover has risen +1,744% from<br />
$103 million to $1.9 billion. You can read all this data and more on www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/thecontemporary-art-market-report-<strong>2018</strong>.<br />
However a significant part of the market is in private sales. A striking example is the 2016 reported sale, by the<br />
David Geffen foundation to Ken Griffin, CEO and founder of Citadel in Chicago, of a 1955 painting by de<br />
Kooning "Interchange" for $300 million and a 1948 painting by Pollock "Number 17A" for $200 million.<br />
As the financial markets become ever more erratic, the level of political turmoil and money printing produces<br />
creeping currency devaluation, contemporary art will continue its inexorable rise in value. The money can always be<br />
remade but the art cannot. Every wealth manager should have a plan to buy art as a hedge against inflation.<br />
Contemporary art is the smart new asset class. My favorite quip is “Scarcity = Value”.<br />
Jean-Michel Basquiat produced some 2100 drawings and paintings, Andy Warhol produced well in excess of<br />
15,000 pieces and Lichtenstein painted some 5000 pieces. This mass art production flies in the face of the many great<br />
artists who never have an opportunity to show their talents and never make a decent living. Commercial production of<br />
art has led to so many forgeries and lawsuits that the foundations of Basquiat, Warhol and others had to shut down.<br />
Koons and Hirst sell signed copies, expertly made by lowly paid artists making somewhat of a mockery of art and<br />
fools of the buyers. They are cleverly aided and abetted by an unscrupulous handful of top gallerists who closely and<br />
jealously control the market. Cosmic artist Jack Armstrong stands out alone in loudly calling out this art cartel. He has<br />
never ceased to amaze both the art world and public with his self-promotion. He sidestepped the galleries and the<br />
auctions, selling privately and lists amongst his owners such art stalwarts as Alice Walton, Eric Roberts, Narendra<br />
Patel, Michel Polnareff and Donny York. Armstrong created his own art style Cosmic Extensionalism and produced<br />
only 100 magical and stunning Cosmic ‘X’, acrylic on canvas paintings, and will never produce another.<br />
He completed his promotion hattrick, this year, with his $6 million “Tony Lama Cowboy Boots”. These followed<br />
the “Cosmic Starship Harley” 2010, a Harley Davidson V-Rod, launched in LA and the “Cosmic Star Cruiser”<br />
2014, a bicycle launched at the Big Boys Toy Show in Dubai. This year alone, he also announced his $50 million<br />
masterpiece, “The Last Wizard”, his largest painting, a $100 million Bugatti, and a Museum 2020. With this<br />
absolute restriction to only 100 paintings ever and other factors such as DNA and fingerprints his art is impossible to<br />
forge. We have been promoting Armstrong since 2010 and can authenticate all his work. His prices per painting now<br />
range from $5 million to $50 million. About 50% or more of his art is held zealously, in private hands.<br />
This year Star Global launched a huge awareness campaign, the first ‘s’metrospective’ (smart digital retrospective) in<br />
New York’s Times Square with one video every 15 minutes every day and night, along with a worldwide daily email<br />
awareness campaign to 3000 HNWI’s. It is only a matter of time before Armstrong’s art skyrockets in price. The big<br />
question for readers is, “Where can I buy an Armstrong and how?” Please register your interest confidentially with us<br />
without delay and we will keep you informed. Many thanks and best wishes for the new year.<br />
4
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 />
5
6
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 />
7
There can’t be many artists<br />
who can boast a retrospective<br />
in Times Square New York!<br />
Jack Armstrong, founder of<br />
Cosmic ’X’ art, who only ever<br />
painted 100 canvasses, is now<br />
digitally exposed big time,<br />
above the main entrance of<br />
Ripley’s. He has again demonstrated<br />
to the art world that<br />
an artist can make it without<br />
the top galleries and auction<br />
houses. He has bypassed the<br />
high fees they charge and used modern technology to show his work. Like his uncle who<br />
took that daring first step on the moon and famously said “One small step for man and one<br />
giant leap for mankind”, Jack has taken a giant leap for artists. This retrospective follows his<br />
Million Dollar Harley Davidson launched in 2010 in LA and his Artbike, presented to princes<br />
at $3Million, in Dubai at the Big Boys Toy prestigious exhibition, in 2014. He then look the<br />
world by storm recently with his very own Tony Lama Boots, Cosmic Cowboy Boots, which<br />
he painted and launched at a whopping $6 Million. He plans to open his own museum and<br />
support only artists who produce their own work. He has also announced an art car at $100<br />
Million. Jack claims that one day his works will sell at prices that surpass the recent record<br />
prices paid recently for Warhol and Basquiat. Jack was friends with both artists in the 80’s<br />
and was called “The Last Wizard” of art by Warhol. A movie about his life is in the making<br />
and you can see the trailer on You tube. The art market is roaring upwards in sales and<br />
values. Get hold of an Armstrong if you can. They’re extremely scarce with over half the<br />
paintings in private hands and no one appears is in a hurry to sell. Get ahead of the curve.<br />
The rich and famous are amongst his early buyers. Follow on www.starglobalart.com<br />
8
A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED EARLY MAY<br />
TTHIS YEAR 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 />
9
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 the<br />
world’s most expensive boots; the<br />
“Cosmic Cowboy Boots” with a price<br />
tag of $6M. He painted on his own<br />
pristine 1968 Tony Lama boots, a<br />
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 2010<br />
and now back on the market for $10M,<br />
and his “Cosmic Star Cruiser”, a bicycle<br />
launched in 2014 at the prestigious Big<br />
Boys Toys, Dubai. With a price tag of<br />
$3M it attracted the wealthiest people<br />
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 years.<br />
Around 50% of all art is sold privately today because of the high costs of these<br />
establishments. His ‘sticking the boots in’ is perhaps his ultimate statement against<br />
what he called the art cartel. The majority of talented artists never break through the<br />
establishment wall while those few favoured artists become multi-millionaires. He<br />
has promised to help more talented artists break through this barrier.<br />
He vowed to paint only 100 canvases in his lifetime. His unique Cosmic X style of art<br />
combines extreme colors and textures with words that magically appear throughout<br />
each painting when viewed at different angles, his bold signature often in the center.<br />
Around half of his collection is already in private hands. Listed amongst his collectors<br />
are such names as Alice Walton the Walmart Billionaire, Narenda Patel, a world-famous<br />
architect, Donny York of the group Sha Na Na and Michel Polnareff the famous French<br />
singer. His collectors are not eager to sell. This scarcity factor guarantees an<br />
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 of<br />
$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 why<br />
paint them in the first place? “Well Van Gogh painted boots but never his own. Not<br />
many people know that”. These boots may not be meant for walking but are certainly<br />
meant for talking! Armstrong has definitely scored another FIRST!<br />
10
THIS SIGNATURE PAINTING, THE LARGEST MASTERPIECE BY<br />
COSMIC X ARTIST JACK ARMSTRONG, MAY WELL BE THE BARGAIN<br />
OF THE 21st CENTUARY WHEN COMPARED WITH BASQUIAT,<br />
POLLACK, PICASSO OR ROTHKO. WITH ONLY 100 PAINTINGS IN THE<br />
WORLD, THIS SIGNATURE PAINTING COULD EASILY SURPASS THE<br />
$110.5 MILLION PRICE PAID FOR A BASQUIAT.<br />
11
\<br />
12
Coming soon will be the ultimate luxury hyper-car – the $100<br />
million Armstrong-Bugatti. World renowned artist Jack<br />
Armstrong has plans to paint the most expensive car in<br />
history with a Bugatti. It will officially be named “Armstrong-<br />
Bugatti: Cosmic X” or also known as the “Cosmic Dream<br />
Star.” This rare blend of exotic auto and creative art will truly become a Masterpiece!” The<br />
Armstrong-Bugatti will easily become the world’s most expensive Art-Car. Jack Armstrong<br />
stated, “I will break the World Record with an Art-Car, the same way I broke the world price<br />
records for the Most Expensive Motorcycle, Bicycle and Cowboy Boots on Earth.”<br />
The Life of Luxury is proud to announce that the Armstrong-Bugatti supercar will be<br />
exhibited in China in 2020. The custom art-car will feature Armstrong’s special, “cosmic”<br />
blue paint. Can you imagine the overwhelming interest that industry lovers will have? Once<br />
unveiled, the Armstrong-Bugatti will be seen in Macau, by millions of car and art fans.<br />
There have been rumors prior to this announcement that Jack Armstrong would feature a<br />
Rolls-Royce as his Art-Car. Well, we can confirm directly from Mr. Armstrong that he has<br />
chosen to feature a Bugatti. The reason he gave is, “I will paint a Bugatti, out of respect: for<br />
the family of artists, which is Bugatti.”<br />
But what Bugatti will be used? We can confirm that a top secret, new model Bugatti model<br />
will be announced at the Macau exhibit opening. How exciting is that?<br />
The Galaxy Macau casino resort is a luxurious property located on the Cotai Strip in Macau,<br />
China. It opened in 2011 with much fanfare. As a result, this opulent hotel quickly become<br />
the place to stay in Macau. This vibrant city is a short one hour ferry ride from nearby Hong<br />
Kong. Macau features a UNESCO World Heritage site city centre. Visitors will experience a<br />
rich blend of both Chinese and Portuguese culture.<br />
In addition, Macau is widely known as a world-leading gaming and entertainment locale.<br />
Over 30 million visitors arrive every year to take part in non-stop action. Gambling revenues<br />
are incredible and even dominate what Las Vegas brings in each year.<br />
Armstrong says “Modern art is more free than anything on earth and cannot be controlled<br />
by any historic system’s of art, that have been put into place, to control artists and markets<br />
with ‘curated – art’ that destroys the ‘originality.’ That is the essence of great art and<br />
vision.”<br />
13
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 />
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
ALL ENQUIRIES 1 (888) 647-8274 or outside USA +1(347) 674-4246<br />
‘The Last Wizard’, American artist Jack Armstrong's largest and most complex painting<br />
measuring 6 ft. X 4 ft. is not only his grandest painting in scale but also in the complete mastery<br />
of the Cosmic X art form he founded in 1999. ‘Cosmic X’ requires the artist to become the art<br />
they are creating by feeling no separation between the art and the artist.<br />
Armstrong said, “When I saw Basquiat's huge blue red & yellow skull in 1982, at it's completion,<br />
I knew it would be regarded as one of his best works, and it later sold for $110.5M Dollars. The<br />
Last Wizard painting is approx. the same dimensions as Jean-Michel's ‘Untitled’”. Armstrong<br />
adds, “I feel the same way about ‘The Last Wizard’ as Pollock must have felt about his painting<br />
‘Blue Poles’, ‘Guernica’ to Picasso, ‘Orange’ by Rothko, and ‘Untitled’ by Basquiat.”<br />
Completed in 1952, Blue Poles was acquired by the National Gallery of Art In<br />
Australia in 1973, amid much outcry among the Australian public that the<br />
government would purchase, a modern abstract painting at just over 1 Million<br />
dollars in Australian currency. Today the painting is conservatively estimated at<br />
300 Million to over 1 Billion Dollars.<br />
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue Poles,<br />
23
ALL ENQUIRIES 1 (888) 647-8274 or outside USA +1(347) 674-4246<br />
Picasso's Guernica could guarantee 1 Billion Dollars today at<br />
auction. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica_(Picasso)<br />
1961"Orange Red Yellow,"<br />
Rothko sold for $87M. in 2012.<br />
Rothko maintained the social<br />
revolutionary ideas of his youth<br />
throughout his life. In particular<br />
he supported artists' total<br />
freedom of<br />
expression, which<br />
he felt was compromised by the<br />
market. This belief often put him<br />
at odds with the art world<br />
establishment, leading him to<br />
publicly respond to critics, and<br />
occasionally refuse commissions,<br />
and sales exhibitions.<br />
24
ALL ENQUIRIES 1 (888) 647-8274 or outside USA +1(347) 674-4246<br />
JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT (1960-1988),<br />
“Untitled,” 1982 (acrylic, spray paint and oil<br />
stick on canvas, 72 1/8 x 68 1/8 inches).<br />
Bids began at $57 million. Sold for<br />
$110,487,500 (including fees)<br />
“Tonight, Jean-Michel Basquiat entered the<br />
pantheon of artists whose works have<br />
commanded prices over $100 million,<br />
including Picasso, Giacometti, Bacon, and<br />
Warhol,” said Grégoire Billault, head of the<br />
Contemporary Art Dept. at Sotheby’s NY.<br />
“This extraordinary canvas from 1982 has<br />
broken so many benchmarks …but those of<br />
us lucky enough to have been in it’s<br />
presence will only remember it’s awesome<br />
power. To think that it was created by a<br />
virtually unknown 21-year old & was<br />
dismissed by critics, is humbling.”<br />
SOLD $110.5 MILLION<br />
https://en.everybodywiki.com/Cosmic_Extensionalism_%22X%22<br />
"In the future "The Last<br />
Wizard" will break the<br />
records of his peers, but<br />
the power of all these<br />
larger than life works will<br />
remain as the signposts<br />
that signaled the future<br />
of art." - Jack Armstrong<br />
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
Welcome to the summer issue of<br />
Art & Museum Magazine. This<br />
publication is a supplement of<br />
Family Office Magazine, the only<br />
dedicated Family Office<br />
publication 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 />
publications.<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 />
33
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 1999 &<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 />
34
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 published 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 />
35
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 />
36
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 public 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 />
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
These 3 pieces listed above are my personal Triptych of Art, as the Cosmic Harley Davidson was<br />
completed in 2010, exactly 500 Years after the famous "Garden of Earthly Delights" triptych was<br />
completed by Bosch; in about 1510, now in the Prado Museum, Madrid. "Hieronymus Bosch,<br />
The Garden of Earthly Delights, oil<br />
on oak panels, 220 cm × 389 cm<br />
(87 in × 153 in), Museo del Prado,<br />
Madrid. Each of the 3 objects listed,<br />
were the seminal moments in the<br />
history of my art form ‘Cosmic<br />
Extensionalism’. I feel the same<br />
way about the Cosmic Starship<br />
Harley, and the Cosmic Firebird<br />
Painting, works of art standing<br />
alongside Warhol Naked that will<br />
always define me, and my art<br />
creation, ’Cosmic Extensionalism’.<br />
All 3 objects of my art, are each the<br />
reflection of the same dream, and the same artistic truth. Through Warhol, and all the visionary<br />
artists that came before him, I understood that to be the best, you simply could not conform or<br />
alter your vision, to please a dealer or a buyer of my work, because the conformity would have<br />
destroyed the unique imagination behind the masterpiece. Once imagination is removed, there<br />
is no masterpiece. This is true in all the arts, from the Individual art masterpiece, to film, music,<br />
and poetry-No Passion, No Imagination, No Fire, No Art. There is nothing of value In any object<br />
that was created without passion. There have been millions of paintings created and sold<br />
throughout time, and the few, that achieve the highest amounts at auction, become<br />
extraordinary examples of the artist's work, and the most uniquely powerful objects in our<br />
time.<br />
The rarest ones, most reflective of the artist's life and style, become famous. When you say the<br />
words, Van Gogh, you think of Starry Night, or Yellow, Sun Flowers. The art would not exist<br />
without Vincent's creation. But Vincent would not have existed, as we now understand him,<br />
had he not created the seminal piece of his "new" style of art, which is his masterpiece, "Starry<br />
Night." Today, at auction it would bring 1 Billion Dollars or more, because it is painting that most<br />
closely defines and identifies the artist in the art he created.<br />
44
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 for<br />
my work, which is reflected in my writing about my art. My art is not rare because there are few<br />
things like it available on the market, but is rare because there is nothing else on earth 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, who<br />
created the masterpiece,<br />
will gladly exchange money<br />
for that rare thing that can<br />
never be duplicated, the<br />
original masterpiece that is<br />
most closely associated<br />
with the artist in question,<br />
and the pieces that will<br />
always reign supreme at<br />
auction.<br />
These 3 art objects, will<br />
continue to define my art<br />
and my life's work, Cosmic<br />
Extensionalism, long after I<br />
am gone, and my triptych is<br />
written about. If I had not<br />
imagined and then created<br />
these 3 objects, I strongly<br />
feel, my work as an artist<br />
would still be unknown, as<br />
my connection with cosmic<br />
energy, had not been<br />
completely realized, before<br />
2001, and my creation of<br />
Warhol Naked. In the time period of 2001-2010, every great painting including the Cosmic<br />
Motorcycle, was produced. The Cosmic Firebird Painting Created in 2007, my middle period of<br />
Cosmic Extensionalism, for which I later produced 2 ballets done for film, is the culmination of<br />
everything I realized in my cosmic connection to the universal magic in art. It is nothing like any<br />
painting, before or after, and that is what places it exactly in the same category as Warhol<br />
Naked. Indeed there will never be anything like either one of these originals.<br />
45
The third and final piece of the puzzle of my Art Triptych, symbolizing the completion of my<br />
cosmic art journey of discovery, and celebration, happened; when the painting became alive in<br />
the lights of hundreds of photographers from<br />
around the world. The most iconic art motorcycle<br />
in history, the "Cosmic" Harley Davidson, literally<br />
came to life on Oct. 21, 2010, In Los Angeles. It<br />
has never been duplicated by any artist, or any<br />
corporation, and it will remain iconic as long as<br />
people continue to value original concepts that<br />
were unique, in capturing the attention of the<br />
entire world, and not singularly only the artistic<br />
world. I believe the bold and exotic coloring and<br />
shading of paint used in the creation of these<br />
three individual pieces, actually become one, “A<br />
Triptych”, when viewed with the Harley in the<br />
center of the other originals. By channeling this<br />
unlimited cosmic energy into my work, and in<br />
creating cosmic extensions inside my art, is the<br />
true foundation of cosmic X, a kind of art magic,<br />
that Warhol recognized when he said my work<br />
was more alchemy than art, thus dubbing me,<br />
“The Last Wizard of art," in 1985. I had been<br />
experimenting with this energy and magic my<br />
entire life until it formed into a cognitive reality<br />
late in 1999, with "The Cosmic Style of Art," that I<br />
am known for today.<br />
Vincent Van Gogh painted for the last ten years of<br />
his life and died at 37 years old. His seminal<br />
paintings were done in the last 2 years of his life. My work has taken over forty years to reach<br />
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 21st<br />
Century. When you see them, you will believe in them also. This is my Triptych of Cosmic Art,<br />
and its Extensionalism into the cosmic magic, discovered in my work, by Warhol.<br />
46
This original painting displayed on the front cover and opposite page is acrylic on canvas was<br />
painted in 2001. "WARHOL NAKED" is my seminal piece in the creation of Cosmic<br />
Extensionalism a technique of art I founded in 1999, and is individually exclusive to myself.<br />
Mr. Warhol taught me that individuality can overcome all opposition in life and in art. When you<br />
create something so unique and different from the norm, it takes years for the critics and the art<br />
world to catch up with proper recognition and pricing, and embrace the new concept. But as<br />
with all great artists as Van Gogh, Gauguin, Modigliani and Warhol, the pricing rises with the<br />
rarity and uniqueness, of the process used. This is what makes the creation of a masterpiece<br />
possible. The boldness to paint a vision that has never been painted before of something so<br />
different and rare, that it becomes iconic, and represents the essence of the 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 world.<br />
Most of the soup cans did not sell when they were first exhibited in 1962 at $100. The lack of<br />
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 written<br />
with the word “Warhol”, in "bright-white" acrylic paint, symbolizes Warhol's triumph over the<br />
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. He<br />
was my friend, and this painting symbolizes my breakthrough in my own process of becoming<br />
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<br />
CENTURY'S MOST APPRECIATED, NEW ART. EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE FOR THE VISIONARY<br />
WHO BELIEVES IN THEIR OWN WORK, AND THEIR OWN VISION. MOST PEOPLE AND ARTISTS<br />
IN THE WORLD ARE TAUGHT TO BELIEVE IN THE VISION OF OTHERS. THE ORIGINAL PAINTING<br />
"WARHOL NAKED" IS MY FINEST VISION.<br />
ARTIST JACK ARMSTRONG, September 14, 2017<br />
47
48