Joanne Gair facts for kids

Joanne Gair (born around 1958) is a world-famous make-up artist and body painter from New Zealand. She is known for her incredible ability to paint on people's bodies, making it look like they are wearing clothes or blending into the background. This style of art is called trompe-l'œil, which is French for "trick the eye."

Gair became very famous in 1992 for a Vanity Fair magazine cover featuring actress Demi Moore. Gair painted a suit onto Moore's body, a piece of art that became known as Demi's Birthday Suit. She is also well-known for the amazing body paintings she created for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for many years.

Besides her famous body paintings, Gair has worked as a make-up artist for many rock stars, including Madonna, helping them create their unique looks for music videos and tours. Her creative work has made her a trendsetter in both the art and fashion worlds.

A Career in Art and Makeup

Joanne Gair was born in Auckland, New Zealand. When she was 21, she left New Zealand to travel the world, living in places like Australia and Amsterdam. She eventually moved to Los Angeles around the time of the 1984 Summer Olympics.

Working with Music Stars

In Los Angeles, Gair's talent as a make-up artist quickly got noticed. She began working with some of the biggest names in music. She created looks for David Lee Roth, Tina Turner, Grace Jones, Annie Lennox, and Mick Jagger.

Her work with Madonna was especially important. She was the make-up artist for famous music videos like "Vogue" and "Express Yourself". She also worked on Madonna's Blonde Ambition Tour. Gair's work helped many musicians win awards for their style. For example, she worked with Gwen Stefani on the music video for No Doubt's song "New", which won Most Stylish Video at the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards.

Becoming a Famous Body Painter

While Gair was a successful make-up artist, she wanted to create her own art. This led her to focus on body painting.

Her big break came in 1992. She worked with photographer Annie Leibovitz to create a stunning magazine cover for Vanity Fair with actress Demi Moore. Gair and her team spent thirteen hours painting a suit onto Moore's body. The cover was a huge sensation and made Gair famous around the world. It is still one of the most famous examples of modern body painting.

Gair's inspiration for body painting comes from many places. She was inspired by the traditional face markings of the Māori people of her home country, New Zealand. She also drew ideas from glam rock musicians, Japanese geishas, and Native American art.

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

From 1999 to 2017, Gair created amazing body paintings for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Each year, she would paint swimsuits onto models, and the results were so realistic it was hard to tell they were not real clothes.

• 1999: Gair painted beachwear on six models, including Heidi Klum and Rebecca Romijn.
• 2001: The theme was "goddesses." Gair painted the models to look like famous goddesses from mythology, such as Athena and Venus.
• 2003: She painted a map of the world on fellow New Zealander Rachel Hunter.
• 2005: The models were painted with the uniforms of different sports teams.
• 2008: The body paintings were so detailed that it took an average of thirteen hours to paint each model.
• 2016: For the first time, a body painting by Gair appeared on one of the main covers of the magazine, featuring athlete Ronda Rousey.

Gair sometimes even took the photographs of her own body paintings for the magazine. Her work for Sports Illustrated showed off her incredible skill and creativity.

Television and Books

Disappearing Model, 2000 has been mentioned as Gair's most famous work.

Gair's work has been featured on television many times. One of her most famous pieces, called Disappearing Model, was shown on the TV show Ripley's Believe It or Not!. For this artwork, she painted a model to blend in perfectly with a flowered wallpaper behind her. It was so well done that it was hard to see the person at all.

Gair has also written books about her art.

• Paint A 'Licious (2005): In this book, Gair used body paint to help people live out their fantasies. For example, she painted abs on someone's stomach to make them look fit.
• Body Painting: Masterpieces (2006): This book shows 75 of her best works, including photos of celebrities like Demi Moore and Heidi Klum.
• Sports Illustrated: In the Paint (2007): This book is a collection of all her body paintings for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Personal Life

Gair's father, George Gair, was a well-known politician in New Zealand. He served in the Parliament of New Zealand for many years. As Joanne became more famous, her father was often proudly called "Joanne Gair's father."

Today, Joanne Gair continues to be celebrated as a master of her craft, an artist who uses the human body as her canvas to create amazing illusions.

See also

In Spanish: Joanne Gair para niños