TATTOO. 1730s-1970s. Henk Schiffmacher’s Private Collection. 40th Ed

For the past forty years, the legendary tattoo artist and historian Henk Schiffmacher has poured his heart and soul into this collection, gathering original drawings, lithographs, etchings, tattoo instruments, paintings, photographs, posters, shop signs, designs, and other artifacts from around the world – including extremely rare vintage flash sheets from significant masters of early Western tattooing. This volume documents Schiffmacher's life's work and the global spread and diversity of this unique art form across five chapters – featuring tattoos from the Māori and the islanders of the South Pacific, the ancient traditions of Asia, and the origins of the old Western school in Europe and the United States. The book, which serves as a history book, art book, and fascinating memoir, traverses over 200 years of tattoo history from the 1730s to the 1970s, offering intimate glimpses into the lives of tattoo artists, their personal struggles and triumphs, their professional risks, and the creative courage that shaped their stories. The volume is complemented by a dozen of Schiffmacher's original illustrations in his unmistakable style and a personal introduction. In these private reflections, he describes his journey as an artist and collector, as well as his own fascinating perspective on the evolution of this art from underground to mainstream. At the same time, readers will discover the adventurous tales surrounding the formation of his collection – one of the largest tattoo collections in the world – from the viewpoint of a connoisseur and self-taught individual who loves and reveres this art and its innovators like few others.

About the series: TASCHEN is 40! Since we began our work as cultural treasure hunters in 1980, TASCHEN has stood for affordable, high-quality, and sometimes audacious publications. Whether art or body culture – we make it possible for bookworms.