KIFKA+HELLER

drawning  by Cédric Guarneri.

CHRISTOPHER LEE SAUVÉ

New York-based artist and recent fashion impresario CHRISTOPHER LEE SAUVÉ is a momma’s boy. Whether he’s drawing inspiration from punk nuevo Brooklyn street kids, or his idol ANDY WARHOL, this Canadian-born prodigy always looks back to his mother for inspiration. “When I was a child, she would create her own over-sized, silk-screened, bold-graphic t-shirts,” recalls the artist from his West Village studio, “she would cut and rip the neck and wear them as elegant evening dresses. It was revolutionary.”

Not content to wallow in her shadow, SAUVÉ recently burst onto the cultural landscape with his own line of t-shirts that became controversial collector’s items after being embraced by NEW YORK MAGAZINE, VOGUE, ELLE, and PEREZ HILTON.

Before migrating to the West Village, Sauve worked as a political graphic designer with ADBUSTERS MAGAZINE where he co-designed the book DESIGN ANARCHY. He eventually settled in Brooklyn and immediately began receiving commissions to design theater and rock posters while he painted from his East Williamsburg artist commune.

“I moved to New York with a back pack and 20 bucks,” laughs the artist, “and now I have thirty-bucks and a suitcase. I’m moving up in the world.” His current popularity began in late last year when rumors began to circulate the bloggosphere that ANNA WINTOUR was being replaced as editor of VOGUE. The now iconic t-shirt he created simply read: SAVE ANNA.

But it would be a less-likely, Bravo reality show vixen that would usher SAUVÉ into the mainstream, “She would always say, I DIE. BANANAS. over and over again,” says the artist in regards to celebrity stylist RACHEL ZOE. “After I produced the shirt I received a letter from Zoe’s attorney saying that she trademarked the words ‘I Die.’ And ‘Bananas.’ I sent this letter to the press and a media sensation was born. How can someone trademark a fruit?” As a response to the cease and desist letter, SAUVÉ created the FREE THE FRUIT campaign which garnered support from around the globe. It was from this line that the ART (TM) BANANAS t-shirt, which is currently in production, was born.

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