Duardo

Richard Duardo is best known as a master fine art screen printer, although he concurrently had a four-decade long career as an artist in Los Angeles. Often called the “West Coast Warhol,” he was well-respected in the L.A. art scene and was one of the founders of Modern Multiples – a West Coast printshop that was quite prolific and influential. Moreover, he was a co-founder of the Centro de Arte Publico in the late 1970s; this was a Highland Park art collective which was rather political. Another business of his was Future Perfect Publishing, a contract silkscreen print studio where his expert printmaking skills caused him to be internationally recognized as the best serigraph artist in Los Angeles. Ultimately, he was named Artist of the Year by the California Arts Council in 1988.

His passion and forte was transforming great art into beautiful prints. He created large-scale, colorful prints of famous musicians/entertainers such as Duke Ellington, Lauren Bacall, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and Madonna, as well as other artists like Frida Kahlo, Keith Haring, Mark Mothersbaugh, John Van Hamersveld, Mick Haggerty, David Hockney, Chaz Bojorquez, Banksy, including Andy Warhol himself.

After getting his start in art from the Pasadena Community College, he then graduated from with a B.A. in graphic design and a master’s degree in fine art from UCLA. Because he didn’t want to get too far from his 1952 Chicano roots, he went back to his native neighborhood in the Boyle Heights section of East L.A. where he developed a keen eye for other artists who would benefit from his gregariousness and mentorship. This pivotal, passionate artist and printer passed away at age 62 in November 2014.