Ruth Marten - Histoire un-Naturelle

 Artist Bio:

"Born and living in N.Y., Ruth Marten has worn several hats, in spite of the hair. From 1972 to 1980 she was an important figure in the tattoo underground and, as one of the few women practicing the craft, influenced people's ideas about body decoration. Working during the disco and punk era, she also tattooed in the Musée D'Art Moderne de La Ville de Paris during the 10th Biennale de Paris in 1977.

Hired by Jean-Paul Goude for her first illustration (and for 30 years after) she illustrated books, albums and magazines and is most associated with the "Year in Provence" books of Peter Mayle, art-directed for A.A.Knopf by Carol Devine Carson. That love of the printed image informs her newest interest: changing, through over-drawing and collage, the configuration and content of 18th century engravings.

Her book Histoire un-Naturelle, published for her 2007 London exhibit at Isis Gallery, is a catalogue of the work that came on the heels of a 17 year obsession with hair. Her drawing, painting and sculpture has been exhibited at the Aldrich Museum (Pop Surrealism, 1998), the Tang Museum (Hair, Untangling a Social History, 2004), the Halsey Institute (Hair on Fire, 2009) and is represented in many collections -- most recently in the de Young Museum in San Francisco."

Text source: www.ruthmarten.com