Tristan Eaton

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Tristan Eaton
Born1978
Hollywood, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Graffiti artist, toy designer
Notable work
  • Audrey of Mulberry
  • Dunny (designer toy)
Websitewww.tristaneaton.com

Tristan Eaton (born 1978) is an American artist. Primarily known for his toy designs and street art murals, Eaton is also a graphic designer and illustrator.[1] In total, Eaton has painted about 100 murals around the world.[2]

Early life[edit]

Eaton was born in Hollywood, California in 1978.[3][4][5] After living in London for a few years in his youth, his family moved to Detroit, where his father was born and raised, and he eventually attended Detroit's College for Creative Studies.[6] He moved to New York City at 20 years of age and attended the New York School of Visual Arts.[7] While in New York, under the pseudonym TrustoCorp, he used billboards and street signs to deliver political messages as a street artist.[3] He returned to live in Los Angeles 15 years later.[8]

Career[edit]

Graphic and toy design[edit]

During his time in Detroit as a teen, while pitching his artwork at a local gallery, Eaton was introduced to Jerry Vile, the publisher of the alternative Orbit magazine, who gave him a job as an illustrator.[6] In 1996, at the age of 18, a college instructor helped him sell a toy design to Fisher-Price. This experience laid the foundation for his future work in toy design.[6][9]

In 2004, Eaton created the Dunny designer toy in collaboration with Paul Budnitz of Kidrobot.[10][11][12] In 2006, Eaton collaborated with Burger King to create a vinyl designer toy for its “The Subservient Chicken” ad campaign.[13]

Eaton created posters for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential election campaign.[14]

In 2009, Eaton was the designer of Soul Train Music Awards for BET, a subsidiary of Viacom.[15]

In 2020, Eaton designed the tickets and game program for the Super Bowl.[16][17] That same year, he was commissioned by SpaceX to create an artwork that would be sent to the International Space Station in the shuttle Crew Dragon to entertain the astronauts aboard, and return to Earth with the crew. The work, titled Human Kind and made of gold, brass, and aluminum, features collages of popular culture in Eaton's idiosyncratic style.[18]

Public murals[edit]

In the summer of 2013, Eaton painted the mural I was a Botox Junkie in the corner of Traction and East Third streets in the Arts District of Los Angeles.[19][20][21] Also in 2013, Eaton created the mural Audrey of Mulberry in Little Italy, Manhattan, depicting the legendary actress and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn.[22][23]

In 2014, Eaton painted a six-story public mural of Alexander Graham Bell, titled the Spirit of Communiction, in West Palm Beach, Florida.[24][25] On March 3, 2016, part of the wall that the mural was painted on collapsed.[25] The entire wall and mural was demolished the same year.[26]

Also in 2014, Eaton painted a large mural of Napoleon Bonaparte for the Nuit Blanche Festival in Paris, France. The work is based on the painting Napoleon Crossing the Alps by Jacques-Louis David and prominently features the words "The Revolution Will Be Trivialized".[27]

In 2015, Eaton executed a commissioned mural for the Long Beach Museum of Art as part of the exhibition Vitality and Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape.[28]

In 2019, Eaton's Monster Mural, featuring Frankenstein, his Bride, and Dracula, along with other characters, was commissioned by and installed at Universal Studios, Los Angeles.[29][14] In that same year, Eaton executed a 100-foot mural of the legendary actress and model Evelyn Nesbit on the 236 Fifth Avenue building in Manhattan, New York City titled The Gilded Lady.[30][31]

In 2020, in Highland Park, Los Angeles, a vandal defaced a mural Eaton made depicting Martin Luther King Jr. In response, Eaton painted an image of a smiling Malcolm X to replace the original image.[32]

Exhibitions[edit]

In 2021, the Long Beach Museum of Art held a 25-year retrospective of Eaton's work titled "All At Once".[33]

Legal issues[edit]

In 2019, Eaton sued an Ottawa, Canada real estate developer for using a cropped image of Audrey of Mulberry in the promotional material for a student residence. This case highlighted the legal gray area between copyright ownership of street art and the commercial use of images of public spaces.[23][34] This case was settled in 2021 with a public apology by the developer and a stipulation to refrain from ever using the image for commercial purposes.[35]

Collections[edit]

Eaton's work is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.[36]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Art of Tristan Eaton". The Next List. December 11, 2011. CNN. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Wright, Courtney (July 21, 2021). "Artist Tristan Eaton's 25-Year Career Has Been a Quest of Self-Discovery". Los Angeles. Los Angeles: Engine Vision Media. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  3. ^ Eaton, Tristan (July 27, 2021). "Tristan Eaton Interview By Joel Duran". Chicano Perspectives (Interview). Interviewed by Joel Duran. Long Beach. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  4. ^ Eaton, Tristan (December 23, 2017). "I would love to visit, paint in India: Street artist Tristan Eaton". The Statesman (Interview). New Delhi: IANS. Archived from the original on August 20, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c DeVito, Lee (February 9, 2022). "Renaissance man Tristan Eaton returns to his Detroit roots as the Dirty Show's featured artist". Detroit Metro Times. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  6. ^ "Tristan Eaton". Longbeachwalls.com. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  7. ^ "the midnight charrette interviews street artist and toy designer tristan eaton". designboom. October 19, 2019. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  8. ^ Eaton, Tristan (July 28, 2021). ""You Can Literally Throw Money at Your Problems": Artist Tristan Eaton on His New, Interactive Exhibit at Long Beach Museum of Art". The Hollywood Reporter (Interview). Interviewed by Degen Pener. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  9. ^ Lowey, Ian; Prince, Suzy (2014). The Graphic Art of the Underground: A Countercultural History. London; New York: Bloomsbury Visual Arts. ISBN 9781472573551.
  10. ^ Bloemink, Barbara J. (2006). Design Life Now. Smithsonian / Cooper-Hewitt. ISBN 9780910503990.
  11. ^ Bond, Mindy; Raphie, Frank. "Tristan Eaton, Graffiti Artist, Illustrator & Toy Designer". Gothamist. New York Public Radio. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  12. ^ Jack (June 28, 2006). "Burger King Subservient Chicken by Tristan Eaton". Vinyl Pulse. Archived from the original on July 2, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Jasmine, Aliya (March 14, 2019). "Creepy Cool: The Story Behind The Monster Mural at Universal Studios Hollywood". KNBC. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  14. ^ Wright, Travis R. (November 23, 2009). "New York by way of Detroit Artist Tristan Eaton Redesigns SoulTrain". Detroit Metro Times. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  15. ^ Treaster, Joseph B. (January 29, 2020). "The Super Bowl Is the Biggest Art Show in Miami Right Now". The New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2023. (subscription required)
  16. ^ "Miami street artists to feature works during Super Bowl". Associated Press. Miami. January 29, 2020. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  17. ^ Duffy, Maggie (June 2, 2020). "SpaceX commissioned this artist for the space station. He also painted a mural in Tampa". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  18. ^ "'I Was a Botox Junkie' (Los Angeles, CA)". TristanEaton.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  19. ^ Schroeder, Amy Newlove (February 10, 2015). "Take Your Beau on a Guided Tour of L.A.'s Street Art This Valentine's Day". Los Angeles. Los Angeles: Engine Vision Media. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  20. ^ Daichendt, G. James (November 19, 2014). "Tristan Eaton's Playground". KCET. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  21. ^ Swalec, Andrea (August 21, 2013). "Audrey Hepburn Mural Brightens Mulberry Street". DNAinfo. Archived from the original on January 31, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  22. ^ a b Hannay, Chris (November 19, 2019). "Ottawa real estate developers face lawsuit from Los Angeles street artist". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on November 19, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  23. ^ Frías, Carlos (April 12, 2014). "15 days, 600 cans of spray paint — L.A. artist puts his tag on downtown West Palm's skyline". The Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  24. ^ a b Anthony, Attiyya (March 4, 2016). "Piece of building mural falls onto law office in downtown West Palm Beach, injuring 4". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved July 22, 2023. (subscription required)
  25. ^ Lordi, Laura (April 6, 2016). "West Palm facade torn down: How Alexander Lofts mural was created". The Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  26. ^ "Tristan Eaton paints a giant Napoleon in Paris, France". Street Art News. October 4, 2014. Archived from the original on October 7, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  27. ^ "Long Beach Museum of Art to Open New Exhibition Vitality and Verve: Transforming the Urban Landscape on June 26 - Long Beach Museum of Art". LBMA.org. May 14, 2015. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  28. ^ Couch, Aaron (February 19, 2019). "Universal Unveils Massive Monster Mural on Studio Lot". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  29. ^ "One-On-One With Tristan Eaton On His "The Gilded Lady" Mural On Fifth Avenue In NYC". Haute Living. Miami: Haute Living. June 26, 2019. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  30. ^ Bellafante, Ginia (May 10, 2019). "The 100-Foot Gibson Girl: A Symbol of Abuse, then and Now". The New York Times. Retrieved August 5, 2023. (subscription required)
  31. ^ Sheridan, Jake (June 24, 2020). "Tristan Eaton's Highland Park mural of MLK was defaced. He repainted Malcolm X". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 26, 2023.(subscription required)
  32. ^ Booker, Christopher (June 12, 2021). "Street artist and designer Tristan Eaton's global canvas". PBS News Weekend. PBS. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  33. ^ Macdonald, Nikki (March 3, 2020). "Street art - public property or copyrighted art?". Stuff. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  34. ^ Olijnyk, Zena (May 17, 2022). "Lawyer Paul Bain on the love of art – and art law". Canadian Lawyer. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  35. ^ "Tristan Eaton". The Museum of Modern Art. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2023.

External links[edit]

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