Pinstriped Suit

Coop finished high school, skipped art school, and arrived in Los Angeles in the late 80’s where he immediately got to work subverting the mainstream. Chances are good you’ve seen some manifestation of his merchandising juggernaut: smoking devils, devil-girls, hotrods, space aliens or monsters on posters, t-shirts, hats, stickers, stationery sets, skate boards, toys, shot glasses, Zippo lighters, and so much more. He’s done roughly 100 posters, including rock posters for Nirvana, Soundgarden, The Sex Pistols and many others, and album cover art for everyone from the Monomen to the Ramones. The first edition of The Devil’s Advocate, his full-color book was released to an immediate sellout in November 2001, and went immediately into continuous reprint. Coop’s second book, THE BIG FAT ONE, a 1008-page sketchbook, was released in October 2002. According to Juxtapoz Magazine, Coop’s name is “now more recognizable to modern youth than that of Rembrandt.“ He cites Robert Williams, R. Crumb and Eric Stanton as some of his favorites and great influences, in addition to Big Daddy Roth, Irving Klaw, Wally Wood, Gil Elvgren, and a host of other degenerates. Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame houses two of Coop’s posters in its permanent collection. He was also commissioned Big Daddy has left something that will live on forever. After forty years, Rat Fink fever has gotten in our heads, on our speedways, in our skateparks–there is no cure. We've gone on to become artists, filmmakers, mechanics, executives. He's become an action figure, a bobble head, a rececar, a doll, and has achieved timeless cult status along the way. At first it may have seemed that Rat Fink was originally drawn for us to laugh at, as a throw away carton. Now he's the one laughing–Rat Fink's Revenge indeed. This collection of 40 Rat Fink statues is taken from the book compiled by David Chodosh. The project originated as a way for the author and four score contemporary artists to exorcize their inner Fink–the sick monster inside who needs to come out and show itself to the world. All the contributors, for whom Rat Fink is part of their soul, were given the same 12" resin model kit to customize. La Luz de Jesus Gallery is a renowned contemporary art gallery in Los Angeles, California, known for its role in promoting lowbrow, pop surrealism, outsider, and underground art. Established in 1986 by Billy Shire, the gallery has been a launching pad for many influential artists in the alternative art scene.