Von Franco
Born
San Jose, CA
NationalityAmerican
EducationSelf-taught
MovementLowbrow, Kustom Kulture

Von Franco (born May 29, 1952) is a self-taught American artist associated with the Lowbrow art movement and Kustom Kulture. He became involved at an early age in the burgeoning hot rod and Kustom Kulture scene of Southern California. His skill at drawing hot rod and monster art, popular in Kustom Kulture, caught the attention of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, for whom Von Franco later worked. Von Franco became a builder of custom automobiles, gaining notoriety for building clones of Norm Grabowski's Kookie, Kookie II and Lightning Bug t-buckets,[1] as well as a clone/expansion of the Golden Rod.[2] Von Franco is also known for his distinctive pinstriping and hand-lettering techniques. He was also the guitarist in the surf band The Bomboras and played the vibraphone in The Hyperions.

He designed two bicycles for GT Bicycles, The Von Franco (orange) and the Taboo Tiki.

He is a member of the Beatniks Koolsville car club.

Von Franco was featured in the 1995 documentary Desperate Generation[3] and is the subject of the biographical documentaries I Was a Teenage Monster Shirt Painter[4] and "The Car That Ate My Brain" [5] and featured in the Kustom Kulture documentary Flake and Flames.[6] He is featured on the cover and interior of My Freedamn! Volume 6,[7] a vintage collectibles series by Rin Tanaka.

35 of his airbrushed sweatshirts were promoted by Levi's "Kustom Monster" in a multinational clothing tour.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Tradition Reigns in Frisco". Street Rodder Magazine.
  2. ↑ Ryan Cochran. "America's Most Beautiful Roadster 1955: The Golden Rod". The Jalopy Journal.
  3. ↑ "Desperate Generation". Mad Fabricators Society. 1995.
  4. ↑ I Was a Teenage Monster Shirt Painter. Mad Fabricators Society. 2005. OCLC 226214882.
  5. ↑ "The Car That Ate My Brain". Mad Fabricators Society. 2008.
  6. ↑ "Flake and Flames". IMDb. 2013.
  7. ↑ Tanaka, Rin (2007). My Freedamn Volume 6 (Hardcover). ISBN 978-0984779420.
  8. ↑ Levi's Vintage Clothing Spring 2013 "Hot Rod" Exhibition by Matt Bell 21 February 2013 in Homme Essential.


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