Laurence GARTEL, is known to the world as the "FATHER" of Digital Art for nearly 40-years. His career started working side by side with video guru Nam June Paik at Media Study/Buffalo in upstate New York. He taught Andy Warhol how to use the Amiga Computer in order to produce the album cover for Debbie Harry (Blondie). Growing up in New York City during the Punk Rock era he was friends with Stiv Bators, Sid Vicious, Joey Ramone, Wendy O. Williams, and exhibited his work with Robert Mapplethorpe. Creating Digital Art before the birth of the personal computer his work has been exhibited with the Museum of Modern Art, Long Beach Museum of Art, Princeton Art Museum, Norton Museum of Art as well as included in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of American History, Bibliothque Nationale Paris and Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum, London.

Gartel has traveled the world exhibiting and projecting his work in Australia, Spain, Germany, Italy, as well as going to India, creating a Bollywood Music/Video for Universal Entertainment. He has been commissioned to produce artwork on Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as for corporations such as Coca Cola, Philip Morris, Walt Disney, National Basketball Association, Gibson Guitars, Bang & Olufsen, and known to most for his ABSOLUT GARTEL ad for Absolut Vodka.

GARTEL delivered the keynote speech at the National Art Education Association (NAEA) in San Diego, Spring 2014 and received the Globus Award in Japan 2014. (His third Lifetime Achievement Award.)

His concentration the last several years has been focused on Art Cars, the first commission being the TESLA Electric Art Roadster during Art Basel Miami Beach in 2010. He was the "FEATURE" of the 113th New York International Auto Show with his own 30,000 square foot Pavilion in 2013. Mercedes Benz commissioned GARTEL to create a very special Art Car to celebrate their "13th Million Friend on Facebook. Gartel unveiled a $250,000 Renntech Mercedes SL 65 V12 Art Car during Art Basel Miami Beach at exclusive Fisher Island Club. He was the Visionary of the 3D Print Conference in Santa Clara 2015.

GARTEL is the Official Artist of the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, 2015 and Artist of the Newport Jazz Festival 2015.

Artist Website: www.gartelart.com