Book Club ~ Brett Kaufman: Biographical Assemblage and Photo Collage

Brett Kaufman is a San Francisco-based artist whose work is inspired by the numerous biographies he has read. His attempt to take the essence of a particular reading and transform that person's story into a visual dialog has resulted in this series of assemblage and surrealist photo collage portraits. Born the Summer of Love, Brett grew up in Los Angeles, California. 1987 brought Brett up north to San Francisco to help take care of his brother Perry, who was diagnosed with the still mystified disease of AIDS. After his brother’s passing, Brett saw how fleeting life could be, and decided to stay in the city he came to love and pursue his true passion of art. His early work was very political, due to the times and surroundings he was living in. He graduated from San Francisco State University, studying under famed photo realist painter Robert Bechtle, and his wife, art historian Whitney Chadwick. Thirty years later, Brett still finds himself inspired by the city he has come to call home, and sees his art as a never ending journey of discovery and reflection. Kaufman's work has been presented in museums, galleries, and spaces as varied as SF City Hall, SF Camerawork, Sacramento's Crocker Art Museum, New York's Monique Goldstrom Gallery, the Rumbach- Synagogue in Budapest, Hungary, and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Brett's imagery has graced the covers of The SF Bay Guardian, Frontiers Magazine, and over 30 issues of the San Francisco Sentinel. His art has been enthusiastically received over the years, and sits in many prestigious collections, including the Rene di Rosa Foundation in Napa Valley, the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam, and the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.