Mats Gustafson

Mats Gustafson was born in Sweden in 1951. He studied costume and stage design at the Scandinavian Drama Institute in Stockholm and in 1978 had his first fashion illustrations published in British Vogue. This led to contributions in American Vogue and Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine. In 1980 he moved to New York.

In addition to making illustrations for the world’s most important fashion magazines, Gustafson has been commissioned by a host of international designers and brands including Comme des Garcons, Romeo Gigli, Chanel and Yohji Yamamoto.

His work has been exhibited widely in Europe and the U.S. Several publications featuring his work have been released, including Drawn by the Sea (with Ted Muehling, 2000), Mats Gustafson 1989 – 2001 (2001), Rocks (2003), and Pictures (2006). In 2006 John McWhinnie @ GHB exhibited his widely acclaimed show, Deer and produced a publication of the same name, based on the exhibition. This show was followed by Swan in 2009 which was again presented by John McWhinnie @ GHB and an accompanying catalogue was published.

The artist presently lives and works in New York City and Sag Harbor, NY.