Scooter LaForge

Scooter LaForge
Born1971 (age 54–55)
Las Cruces, New Mexico, U.S.
Education
Occupationartist
AwardsPollock-Krasner Foundation grant
Websitescooter-laforge.com

Scooter LaForge (born 1971) is an American artist based in New York's East Village. He is a painter and sculptor, and has a line of clothing for Patricia Field and has collaborated with other fashion designers. LaForge's work is "inspired by the old masters, cute fluffy animals, and sometimes iconic cartoons," drawing from a number of pop culture and artistic references, ranging from Disney and Popeye to Keith Haring and Rembrandt.

The New York Times has described his work as "recalling the Neo-Expressionism that was popular in the '80s, the manic Neo-Surrealism of George Condo, and the comics-to-graffiti-to-canvas style of Kenny Scharf." Pop culture journalist Michael Musto has called him "my favorite living artist".

Early life

LaForge was born Scooter James LaForge in 1971 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Work

LaForge earned a BFA from the University of Arizona in 1993, and began his career as a painter in San Francisco. He moved to New York City in 2001, attending the Cooper Union School of Art under a fellowship. His work is held in the collections of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art and collector Beth Rudin DeWoody.

LaForge has a line of hand-painted clothing sold through stylist Patricia Field. He has twice collaborated with Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck.

His clothing has been worn by Susanne Bartsch, Sandra Bernhard, Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Boy George, Debbie Harry, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Iggy Pop, Rihanna, and Lil Wayne.

Exhibitions

Solo

Group

References

  1. ↑ "Scooter LaForge". Howl!.
  2. ↑ "'Public Art as Protest' debuts at Howl! Happening". EV Grieve. August 13, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "21 Questions with Scooter LaForge". The Nervous Breakdown. June 17, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "What to See in New York Art Galleries This Week". New York Times. April 14, 2017. p. C22.
  5. 1 2 3 "Scooter LaForge, New York, USA". oddities + objets d'arts + outsider.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Lehrer, Adam (August 4, 2015). "Artist Scooter LaForge Has Found a New Art Medium in Clothing, Taking His Career to New Heights". Forbes.
  7. ↑ Musto, Michael (August 30, 2022). "My favorite living artist, Scooter LaForge, gets his moment in an imminent doc called Scooter LaForge, A Life of Art. Patricia Field, Gazelle Paulo, Gail Thacker, myself and others pop up in the trailer, and Scooter himself offers hints at his pain, his yearning, and his brush strokes". Facebook.
  8. ↑ Lee, Denny (July 27, 2003). "Has Billburg Lost Its Cool?". New York Times.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Scooter LaForge". Printed Editions. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  10. ↑ Casals, Gonzalo; Parness, Noam, eds. (2019). Queer Holdings: A Survey of the Leslie-Lohman Museum Collection. Munich: Hirmer Verlag. p. 214. ISBN 9783777431932.
  11. ↑ "Scooter LaForge". Artland. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  12. ↑ La Ferla, Ruth (February 14, 2019). "Gender-Fluid Style: Street Wear, Club Gear and Lace". The New York Times. p. D5. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  13. ↑ van Straaten, Laura (March 3, 2015). "Scooter LaForge's Paintings Suit Walter Van Beirendonck (and Beyoncé, Too)". T Magazine. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  14. ↑ Schneier, Matthew (January 20, 2017). "A Pagan Message of Renewal at Walter Van Beirendonck's Show". The New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  15. ↑ Wilson, Patti (January 2016). "Yes. It's Me... Susanne Bartsch". Vogue Italia. No. 785. pp. 198–221.
  16. ↑ "Scooter LaForge". Handbook. June 7, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2025.