Jack Armstrong (artist)


Jack Armstrong is an American artist, ex-model and jeweler. Known for his flamboyance and eccentric behavior, described in court papers as "a man with no discernible source of income", he became known for his connection to the "Black Star Of Queensland" of which he reportedly slept with, under his pillow and was a co-owner. What ensued was a controversial legal battle named by the Los Angeles Times as “Heavy Weight Gem Scuffle” in which Armstrong fought against his ex-lover Gabrielle Grohe for control of the stone. The matter settled out of court with Armstrong agreeing to buy out Grohe for $500,000 he had 3 months to pay, his cheque bounced and the stone was awarded to Grohe. Born January 6, 1957 in Omaha Nebraska. He arrived in Manhattan NYC in 1979 where he found work as a male model and later reportedly became friends with Andy Warhol.
Between 1999 – 2000, he founded “Cosmic Extensionalism” a method of art unique to himself, he vowed to create only 100 works of art using this style of extreme color, texture and light, with words appearing at different angles in the paint. Widely published, he was nicknamed "The Last Wizard" by Andy Warhol, which later became the name for the latest Damian Chapa film biopic, announced in 2016 about Jack Armstrong.
His work features in the private collections of Alice Walton, Michel Polnareff, and Narendra Patel is valued in price between 1 and US$6 million.
In October 2010 using acrylic paint and 37 coats of Clear-Coat he unveiled his flagship "cosmic starship" at Bartels’ in Marina Del Rey a Harley-Davidson with actress Gretchen Rossi.
His cosmic Firebird painting was the mascot and centre piece for a ballet "The Cosmic Firebird Dance Concert" held at The Rose Centre Theatre on April 2, 2011.
In 2014, he painted the $3 million Cosmic Starcruiser bicycle. Armstrong has never been represented by a dealer.

Legal issue

At his home in Eagle Rock in 2014, an arrest warrant was issued by the Los Angeles County district attorney's office for one count of rape he was taken into custody.