Paul Booth is a seminal figure in contemporary tattooing, renowned for his haunting “black-and-gray macabre” aesthetic . Apprenticed in 1987 under Ernie White, Booth launched his career in 1988 by founding New York’s legendary Last Rites Tattoo Theatre, which later evolved into a celebrated gallery-space hybrid showcasing dark art installations.
Booth’s signature style—featuring demons, surreal portraits, and chilling religious imagery—has attracted high-profile clients including members of Slayer, Slipknot, Pantera, and Ozzy Osbourne. Often dubbed the “Prince of Darkness,” his work crosses boundaries between tattooing and fine art, informed by chiaroscuro techniques inspired by Rembrandt and Matthias Grünewald.
In 2000, Booth co-founded The Art Fusion Experiment, a groundbreaking collective that merges tattoo, painting, and sculpture into immersive collaborative artwork. In 2007 he expanded his creative territory by opening the Last Rites Gallery, featuring artists with dark, alternative aesthetics akin to H.R. Giger and Michael Hussar.
His fine art work has received international acclaim—most notably a solo exhibition selected by H.R. Giger at the Giger Museum in Switzerland—and has been featured in prestigious exhibitions like Tatoueurs, Tatoués at the Musée du quai Branly in Paris.
Booth’s artistic innovation extends into film and music: he directed the award-winning documentary The Art Fusion Experiment and the experimental Paul Booth’s Last Rites: Volume I, and produces dark ambient music. His multifaceted work explores themes of torment, psychosis, and spiritual turmoil—and continues to challenge perceptions of tattooing as fine art.
A trailblazer, Booth was the first tattoo artist inducted into the National Arts Club, and Rolling Stone hailed him as “The new king of rock tattoos”. With a globally recognized studio, sold-out exhibitions, a multi-year waitlist, and ongoing creative projects—including an upcoming horror feature film—Booth remains one of the most influential and uncompromising artists in alternative culture .
Paul Booth transformed tattooing from subculture into fine art, forged international collaborative creative spaces, and continues to expand his vision into film, music, and gallery installations. He embodies the power of darkness as artistic expression—and shows that true art stems from facing the shadows.
The Barn 