Mark Bradford is widely considered one of the most important and influential artists in America today. His abstract canvases, which often deal with complex social and political issues, hang in major museums around the world, and on the walls of big collectors and some small ones, like me. Bradford’s art may look like paintings, but there’s hardly any paint on them. They’re made out of layers and layers of paper, which he tears, glues, power washes and sands in a style all his own. When he began making art in his 30s, Bradford couldn’t afford expensive paint, so he started experimenting with endpapers, that are used for styling hair. He got the idea while working as a hair stylist in his mom’s beauty shop in South Los Angeles. He was broke, struggling, and didn’t sell his first painting until he was nearly 40.
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