As somebody whos been in the industry for just a little over a year now i really teared up watching this. I do my best to educate myself on tattoo history and it's so sad seeing so many new people who don't really pay it any attention at all. I am beyond greatful for all the incredable work he did. A true legend.
His story is truly magical, it's like he was blessed with a curse. Amazing artist who tattoos for most of his life, grows old and develops Parkinsons - a tattoo artist's kryptonite.
i was very fortunate to have been tatooed on numerous occassions at thoms lower east side spot all my tats done by him were 20$ each and to this day and were talking 20 plus years ago.the colors and detail are the best i have.hats off to you thom your the og of tatoo artists!!!!!!
I FEEL HONORED TO HAVE GOTTEN MY FIRST TATTOO FRM THIS LEGEND. NVR HAD IT RETOUCHED IT WAS ON $30.00 MY GIRLFRIENDS N MYSELF MADE IT A GIRL DAY'S OUT N 8 OF US GOT TATTOOS THT RAINEY DAY DWN ON THE LOWER EASTSIDE. GLAD TO SEE HE IS STILL IS DOING HIS THING.
And now there honored to have you ... Aaaaaaa let me finish! It sounds cocky to a normal person .. but to a true artist . That is absolutely a humble thing to say .. an artist as his or her biggest critique. The world is a canvas ... Every wall Every brick ... Every slab of Wood.. is your God given right .. to create. He moved me in such a way that I sacrificed my wrist in his honor I tattooed a scratchy pattern of his Asian brick design on my left arm because of these vids ... My grandmother was his age and she played piano and wrote poetry and when I was a young man I cooked her favorite soup smoked cigs ... Drank coffee and would drive my mustang to her house and chill ... And just listen to the good ole years from her mouth because where I come from .. elders are key their the tree to pay the attention to. That's all we got as a whole youth .. the path in witch we came from. So yes not to be so sappy but damn... getting the honor to hear from your (tree) as an acorn .. that's one of the true meanings of life... God bless and listen to the old they'll steer you in the right direction.😎
ive seen this guys pictures constantly i knew he was someone unique and different and now hearing about him and these vids he was an unknown legend he seems like a very humble man... amazed by this guy
tattoo age is easily my favorite show, thank you so much for making quality documentaries about amazing people. I would die to see a tattoo age on Thomas Hooper or Maxime Buchi next season.
devita is Awesome! a true pioneer. can't wait for part 2. ....also...i think i caught a little bit of my home town(Pittsburgh) in there at the end, pretty sure those were the fort Pitt tunnel's heading into Downtown.
He´s the Freud of tattoos. They were´nt great at their area, but they made the world look upon tattoos/psychology as something different then it had before.
Just did the devita wrist design on my self im happy with it means the world to me devita is like if one of you grandparents experimented with tattooing the guy was such an old living legend like liqour prohibition had just ended when he was born...
I love tattoos but I’m not too familiar with the history…could someone explain what separates this from other tattoos that would be considered as “bad” or “amateur” ?
his tattoos dont suck , they are different unlike what most of you are used to , some of you are so petty and small minded , thom was and still is a great artist and tattoer
the symbol that we know as the swastika, has lots of diffferent meaning when varied slightly. in hindu and buddhist cultures it can mean peace and greater spiritual force.
true that. its hard as a young aspiring tattooer as few people want to take you seriously. and rightly they shouldnt because there are way too many half ass hacks that dont give a shit about tattooing getting into it and i can see why they would be inclined to include me in there because of my age. would love to see your tattoos man (especially the saint michael). do you have any photos online?
cool shit man. i love hearing stories about tattooing back then. it was a different world and way to many people are starting to mess that up now. thats great of robert ryan man. he's a great tattooist and its great he has such respect for devita. he deserves it. dude, id love to hear about his studio!! PM me? you heard the story from mike malone about thom's magic bell and bill heine?
I remember Tom gave me a Bundle of heroin that someone drop inside his shop I remember the stamp of the heroin till this day it's called Bag n" Bag" red stamp . This was 1988 lower Eastside was the capital of heroin in New York City back in the 80s . He gave it to me because I didn't like the pain of the needle.
As somebody whos been in the industry for just a little over a year now i really teared up watching this. I do my best to educate myself on tattoo history and it's so sad seeing so many new people who don't really pay it any attention at all.
I am beyond greatful for all the incredable work he did. A true legend.
His story is truly magical, it's like he was blessed with a curse. Amazing artist who tattoos for most of his life, grows old and develops Parkinsons - a tattoo artist's kryptonite.
Instablaster...
Way ahead of his time, a fearless guy.
RIP mr. Thom.
R.I.P to one of the true originals. There can be no 'History of Tattooing' without mentioning Thom DeVita. One of my all time heroes. Rest easy, chief
Great to see Devite i'm an old 70's client lower east side...
i keep coming one or two times every year to watch all the parts Thom deVita was amazing human and artist .
I have 5 or more pieces from deVita from the 70's east 4th St. NYC the home of the thirty dollar tattoo... so glad to see him alive and well
@One Love untrue
I was a young teenager in the 80's and also went to his east 4th st location in NYC. Devita did what Ed Hardy did, and brought it to life in the 80's
i was very fortunate to have been tatooed on numerous occassions at thoms lower east side spot all my tats done by him were 20$ each and to this day and were talking 20 plus years ago.the colors and detail are the best i have.hats off to you thom your the og of tatoo artists!!!!!!
I got tattooed by him on Christmas morning in 1980 when it was illegal in Manhattan . And yes it cost $30.00. This documentary was a great find 🙂
I got serious about tattooing and tattooing history because of this legend , i love to watch this doc , thank you Thom ❤️❤️
I FEEL HONORED TO HAVE GOTTEN MY FIRST TATTOO FRM THIS LEGEND. NVR HAD IT RETOUCHED IT WAS ON $30.00 MY GIRLFRIENDS N MYSELF MADE IT A GIRL DAY'S OUT N 8 OF US GOT TATTOOS THT RAINEY DAY DWN ON THE LOWER EASTSIDE. GLAD TO SEE HE IS STILL IS DOING HIS THING.
RIP. One of the greatest, a true legend
utterly brilliant, i feel honored to have watched this.
And now there honored to have you ... Aaaaaaa let me finish! It sounds cocky to a normal person .. but to a true artist . That is absolutely a humble thing to say .. an artist as his or her biggest critique. The world is a canvas ... Every wall Every brick ... Every slab of Wood.. is your God given right .. to create. He moved me in such a way that I sacrificed my wrist in his honor I tattooed a scratchy pattern of his Asian brick design on my left arm because of these vids ... My grandmother was his age and she played piano and wrote poetry and when I was a young man I cooked her favorite soup smoked cigs ... Drank coffee and would drive my mustang to her house and chill ... And just listen to the good ole years from her mouth because where I come from .. elders are key their the tree to pay the attention to. That's all we got as a whole youth .. the path in witch we came from. So yes not to be so sappy but damn... getting the honor to hear from your (tree) as an acorn .. that's one of the true meanings of life... God bless and listen to the old they'll steer you in the right direction.😎
He is the proof that tattoos do look good when you're old, contrary to what people usually say when you say you're getting a tattoo.
ive seen this guys pictures constantly i knew he was someone unique and different and now hearing about him and these vids he was an unknown legend he seems like a very humble man... amazed by this guy
I always dug him.. My first tattoo I got in 1998... He is one of the best..
R.I.P. Thom, you will always be remembered
tattoo age is easily my favorite show, thank you so much for making quality documentaries about amazing people. I would die to see a tattoo age on Thomas Hooper or Maxime Buchi next season.
This is my fave series vice do, espesh the Valerie episode, can't wait for part 2 :D
Thank you for everything, Thom. RIP.
After watching this I’ve come to the conclusion that Thom DeVita is the Grandfather of the BLAST OVER TATTOO craze that we are seeing 2024 🤘🏆
I totally love tattoo age series, really.
Congratz from Chile folks.
Greeting from Medellín, Colombia...... You're leyend Mr. De Vita, Respect🍃
Man he's held up pretty well for 80
Stuff like this is so inspiring to me
Vice your Docos are inspiring and I love them
*hits subtitles immediately
The Basquiat of tattooing.
Increible este tio es la ostia!!!!!!!!!!!! Quiero uno de sus Flash.
Me da pena que se sepa tan poco de el. Gracias por hacer Tattoo Age.
Dear Lord, if I can be like this man making art every day and doing what he loves, then I will have lived a good life.
devita is Awesome! a true pioneer. can't wait for part 2. ....also...i think i caught a little bit of my home town(Pittsburgh) in there at the end, pretty sure those were the fort Pitt tunnel's heading into Downtown.
Big Respect from Germany ❤
The allure of a natural never ceases.
After watching all these Tattoo Age videos that's what you got out of it?
Awesome.
He´s the Freud of tattoos. They were´nt great at their area, but they made the world look upon tattoos/psychology as something different then it had before.
love this series
Just did the devita wrist design on my self im happy with it means the world to me devita is like if one of you grandparents experimented with tattooing the guy was such an old living legend like liqour prohibition had just ended when he was born...
this is the greatest show on the internet also id love to be half as cool as thom when im 80
awesome you have a passion for sacred geometry i see
Keep these coming pls.
Thank you so much for making this! you guys need to find more of the real ones of tattooing! Not these new school guys!
2024/ BCK HERE AGAIN REST IN ART OF HYROGLIFIC ART, DAVITA, U & UR BARBER CHAIR LIGHT GREEN I BELIEVE, TRUE HONOR..🕊️🕊️🕊️
does anyone know the song playing around 6:42? it's really beautiful.
I would tell anyone to watch all the parts of this
These videos are amazing
Great inspirational story guys. I love it.
DeVita is like the Burroughs of tattoos
amazing artist! would love to know the songs used if anyone knows???
first scene you can see he has shaking hands, this guy did not spoil any thing.
cheers
@4:08 Conrad from Folsom city ink, small world man
I cant wait till I'm old and covered in tattoos.
i loved this thank you so so much
What's the song at the very beginning?
01:05
A Historic Black Tattoo artist would make a great story.
ThesisOriginals it actually wasn’t too common or they only tattooed other black people. It became more common in the 80’s
what is the name of the track which starts at 13:57?
I love tattoos but I’m not too familiar with the history…could someone explain what separates this from other tattoos that would be considered as “bad” or “amateur” ?
The quality of this aged very well 👌🏾💉
I was on my phone checking this out so I couldn't see if other parts were up or not. Know how long till the other parts come up?
his tattoos dont suck , they are different unlike what most of you are used to , some of you are so petty and small minded , thom was and still is a great artist and tattoer
Haha I love the pandas! That's so cute:)
Man...I had to chuckle at the Pandas....this guy is awesome :)
Anyone know the name of the song at 1:40?
Reminds me how sad I am that I never got an FE Craig tattoo before he died ❤
"im workin' on a bunch o' panda bears" hahahaha brilliant
The guy is doing what he loves to do.
A real legend
People that dont like tattoos tend to forget. I dont give a fuck whether you like my tattoos or not, i like them and thats all that matters!
Tattoo Age: Nikko Hurtado!!!! PLEASE MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!
historic OG
Inspiring
Other parts ?
living legend. what did you get tattoed from him?
Rip. True legend
11.34 right hand. That's nice piece!
the symbol that we know as the swastika, has lots of diffferent meaning when varied slightly. in hindu and buddhist cultures it can mean peace and greater spiritual force.
true that. its hard as a young aspiring tattooer as few people want to take you seriously. and rightly they shouldnt because there are way too many half ass hacks that dont give a shit about tattooing getting into it and i can see why they would be inclined to include me in there because of my age. would love to see your tattoos man (especially the saint michael). do you have any photos online?
cool shit man. i love hearing stories about tattooing back then. it was a different world and way to many people are starting to mess that up now. thats great of robert ryan man. he's a great tattooist and its great he has such respect for devita. he deserves it. dude, id love to hear about his studio!! PM me? you heard the story from mike malone about thom's magic bell and bill heine?
great story
Amazing
What the people say about deVita often contradicts what he says about himself.
Yes!
Rest in peace mr. deVita
Rest in Peace Bubba Reeves.
Bee B. One of my oldest friends from my hometown. RIP Bubba! Love you my friend!
I remember Tom gave me a Bundle of heroin that someone drop inside his shop I remember the stamp of the heroin till this day it's called Bag n" Bag" red stamp . This was 1988 lower Eastside was the capital of heroin in New York City back in the 80s . He gave it to me because I didn't like the pain of the needle.
what's the music in the background around 7:30
I always try to explain this concept to my people but they never get it.
Next Wednesday?!?!?!?! AAAAWwwww :(
we all (artist) no mater what color we are.
so adorable amazeing man
haha 2001 pandas! :) love it
I agree !
RIP Thom
Rest in Peace
I like this guy
LIFE ARTIST
He lines with a shader
Rip ol man
the burgh!!!!!!!!
Thanx