Ed Hardy

The brand known as "Ed Hardy" has sold more than a billion units of merchandise to date and continues to expand into emerging markets. But who is the artist Ed Hardy who created the images that have taken on a life of their own, replicated on everything from shirts to air fresheners to cologne? In these uncensored interviews, Ed Hardy demonstrates the relentless curiosity, rebellion, and rigor that have informed his creative career from the very beginning. He names artists, books, movements, and ideas that will continue to inspire seekers of new frontiers and territories to emblazon. Determined to legitimize the tattooing as an art form, Ed Hardy pioneered a creative practice centered on the enhancement of the human body.

Today, Ed Hardy has retired from tattooing, focusing on making paintings, drawings, lithographs, etchings, ceramics, collages, scrolls, and work in other media. But how does an artist stay creative while a brand bearing his name wreaks a global tsunami of a parallel existence that confuses countless onlookers?

As an architect of the contemporary world of tattoo, Ed Hardy's preeminence led to a 2004 licensing agreement that made "Ed Hardy" an international global brand. He divides his time between San Francisco and Hawaii.

In 1977 V. Vale published "Search & Destroy" magazine, originally funded by Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, at City Lights Bookstore. In 1980 he founded RE/Search, which published the influential "Modern Primitives" issue, plus other cultural jump-starters. He lives in San Francisco.