Paul Booth

Born in 1967 in Boonton in the United States, Paul Booth was first the apprentice of Ernie White in New Jersey before opening his shop in New York City: The Last Rites Tattoo Theater in 1988. This master tattoo artist is famous for creating a world focused on the exploration of the strange and macabre. His style called “black and gray macabre” earned him the nickname “Prince of Darkness”.

His universe populated by disturbing babies, voracious demons and bizarre and frightening beings introduced him to the black and death metal scene and won him many admirers, including Kerry King from the group Slayer, Phil Anselmo from Pantera or Ozzy Osbourne.

He continues in parallel a painter career. His paintings, which share the same universe, are of great technical mastery and inspired by the religiosity and fervor of Matthias Grünewald but also Rembrandt for his chiaroscuro technique of which he is a great admirer. In 2001 he founded with Filip and Titine Leu an experimental collective The Artfusion Experiment, mixing paint and tattoo. In 2007, in the continuity of his shop, Paul Booth opens an outsider art gallery in New York, the Last Rites Gallery, and brings together the biggest dark aesthetic artists in line with H.R. Giger and Michael Hussar.

In 2011, his paintings join the famous HR Giger Museum in Switzerland for a solo show – the selection of the works presented was made by the creator of Alien himself. Fool’s Paradise et The Fountain of All Iniquities, currently proposed on ArtJaws, are part of it. He also participated in the great exhibition Tatoueurs, Tatoués at the musée du quai Branly (May 2014-October 2015), in which Anne & Julien were the curators.

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/paulbooth/