BIO

Laurence Gartel (b. June 5, 1956) is an American Digital Media Artist widely regarded as the "Father of Digital Art" for his pioneering experiments with computers in the 1970s, predating the personal computer era. Born and raised in New York City, he earned a BFA in graphics from the School of Visual Arts alongside Keith Haring and launched his career collaborating with video art pioneer Nam June Paik at Media Study/Buffalo. Rejecting traditional gallery systems, Gartel forged his own path, blending cerebral innovation with pop culture savvy.

In the 1980s, he famously taught Andy Warhol to use the Amiga computer for Debbie Harry's Blondie album cover. His breakthrough came with the 1990 “ABSOLUT GARTEL" campaign for Absolut Vodka, the first digital artwork in the iconic seriesHis vibrant, glitch-infused style has graced commissions for NASA (MMS Mission, 2015), the Official Artist for the Grammy Awards in 2015 (wrapping a Grammy statue in his unique imagery,), Newport Jazz Festival (2015) (honoring Miles Davis with a wrapped trumpet), NBA, Disney, Coca-Cola, and celebrities like Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears. Red Hot Chili Peppers, and BB King to name a few.

Gartel oeuvre spans digital prints, videos, and interactive media, exhibited at MoMA, Long Beach Museum of Art, Princeton Art Museum, and Norton Museum of Art, his works reside in permanent collections including the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Monographs include A Cybernetic Romance (1989) and GARTEL: Arte & Tecnologia (2004).

A prolific innovator, he debuted "art cars" in 2010 with a Tesla commission during Art Basel Miami, later transforming Ferraris, Rolls-Royces, and Cadillacs into rolling sculptures—capping with a 2013 Pavilion at the New York International Auto Show. Residing in South Florida, Gartel continues to push boundaries, launching Shashibo shape-shifting puzzle Art cubes. Most recently Gartel is the Global Brand Ambassador for Robohood Inc. His monographs, including A Cybernetic Romance (1989) GARTEL: Arte & Tecnologia (2004),and his new 334 page book “Laurence Gartel: “Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Miami Normandie”unveiled at his 50th Year Retrospective in Forges Les Eaux. The world premiere of his film “GARTEL: Digital Titan” directed by Italian filmmaker Roberto Dassoni cements his legacy as a wizard of digital media, forever fusing technology, commerce, and unbridled creativity.