Don Ed Hardy: The Tattoo Artist Behind the Clothing Brand

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Mina Kim

Nov 4, 2016 at

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Model Corde Broadus walks the runway during the Ed Hardy Swimwear 2011 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim at the Raleigh on July 16, 2010 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Many people might associate the name Ed Hardy with colorful T shirts and rhinestone-emblazoned trucker hats. But Don Ed Hardy first drew attention as a barrier-breaking tattoo artist in the 1960s. He graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute before foregoing a Yale arts fellowship to study tattooing in Japan. Today, Hardy focuses mainly on painting and printmaking, but still owns a San Francisco tattoo shop. We talk to Hardy about his work, about tattoos becoming mainstream and how he feels about his brand being associated with “Jersey Shore” stars.

More information on Skin Deep: The Art of the Tattoo exhibit
DonEdHardyArt.com (Mentioned On Air)

Related Coverage:

WATCH: ‘Tattooed and Tenacious’ Reveals Badass Legacy of Female Tattoo Artists (KQED Arts)
Inked Women of California Flex Their Muscles in San Jose (KQED Arts)

Guests:

Don Ed Hardy, tattoo artist<br />

David J. de la Torre, curator of exhibitions, The JCCSF Katz Snyder Gallery

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