Famous tattoo artists for celebrity

In the past, tattoos have been associated with the rebellion and criminal activities. But today, it is not the case. With the emergence of famous tattoo artists, we can see that the art of tattooing has become strikingly more accepted in the world, and no longer associated with criminal groups and prisoners. Today, tattoos are seen as a form of art, a subtle rebellion, and can be seen everywhere, from the arm of the motorbike enthusiast to the ankle of a pre-school teacher. Approximately one in five Americans has a tattoo on their body, and that rate is much higher for the Millennials who don’t shy away from decorating their bodies and showing off the amazing designs. Famous tattoists have millions of Instagram followers, their own TV shows, and a great online presence, making the tattoo art a part of the world of contemporary art more and more each day. Since the stigma around tattoos in the workplace is slowly evaporating, tattoos can be seen everywhere nowadays, in the small artisan shops and serious companies equally.

But is tattoo art real art? If we take into account that numerous high-end tattoo auctions and gallery and museum exhibitions have been organized, showcasing the best of the tattoo art, we can safely say that the contemporary art world has got a new subcategory. In November of 2015, the auction house Guernsey’s has offered up a series of over 1000 images by the world’s leading tattoo artists. A traveling exhibition was showed at Richmond’s Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and featured large-scale photographs of traditional Japanese tattoo art, shot by the photographer Kip Fulbeck. In 1995, Michael Kimmelman, the New York Times art critic stated that tattoos were interesting to the art world because of their “outsider status.” In 2016, tattoos are not outsiders anymore but, as with performance art, it is difficult to put them in museums, for obvious reasons. Many famous names, including