Steve Kaufman

(American, 1960-2010)

Steve Kaufman was born on December 29, 1960 in the Bronx, New York.

Seemingly finding his creative calling early in life, Kaufman started in 1968 by producing Holocaust paintings, which were later donated to the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Brooklyn. He continued along an artistic path, providing custom painting for Macy's, and later participating in a group graffiti show at the Whitney Museum.

In 1978, he enrolled in the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. He soon met Andy Warhol and became his assistant at The Factory. Expanding his influence, Kaufman broke into the downtown social scene by designing theme parties at Studio 54, The Mud Club, Underground, and Magique. He began his sustained dalliance with celebrity, selling his art to high-profile customers such as Calvin Klein and Steve Rubell. After his graduation in 1982 from SVA with a BFA degree, Kaufman held art shows at the Air Gallery in London, White Freud and the Fiorucci store window in NYC.

Kaufman gained notoriety by getting arrested in 1983, aligning with AIDS demonstrators who chain-locked New York City Mayor Ed Koch in his office. He followed with the exhibition Sex, Rock & Roll at the Off-Centre Gallery in London.

In the mid-1980s, he formed SAK Studio and began a campaign for AIDS awareness with art shows featuring large paintings of Trojan condom wrappers. This exhibit was then shown at Main Fine Art, the Edinburgh College of Art, the Zanzibar Club, and the Smith Gallery. By the end of the 1980s, Kaufman opened Art Studio, and with his trademark benevolence hired New York City homeless persons to assist. To raise awareness and support for the country’s homeless crisis, Kaufman painted portraits of three homeless people for Transportation Display, Inc. Those portraits were shown in 46 cities on bus billboards, helping raise $4.72 million. Continuing his philanthropy into the 1990s, he held a benefit art auction for The American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), and created the first of fifty-five Racial Harmony murals in Harlem to bring awareness to inner city problems.

Kaufman continued to paint portraits of famous talent, and his work was held in the collections of worldwide celebrities. He eventually moved his Art Studio to Los Angeles, California, similarly hiring 100 Los Angeles ex-gang members from prison for studio assistance. His outreach with troubled youth expanded to include over 175 different charities. Ultimately, over 750 ex-gang members and homeless had worked for the Art Studio, with an overwhelming majority moving on to a better way of life.

Kaufman's brand continued apace, working with companies such as Warner Brothers, Campbell’s Soup, Harley-Davidson, Apple, and Coca-Cola; he also added to his list of celebrity portraits, including Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali, Bill Clinton, Lance Armstrong, and Pope John Paul II.

Kaufman continued to innovate with fresh artistic styles, notably with collage and stained glass, and expanded his client list to create works for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. His generous altruism garnered honors from Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman, as well as Nevada senator John Ensign and Governor Kenny Guinn. This generosity extended into the decade, with Kaufman donating all his proceeds to charities including “Give Kids A Break”, and raising money for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Up until his untimely death in February 2010, Kaufman kept busy with exhibitions and events, as well as managing his rigorous production schedule. He is remembered through his words: "This is what I live for... I had a great life, so please don't cry for me. I've had the life of 100 men."