David Choe: The Artist Who Turned Graffiti Into A Fortune

How Much is David Choe Worth?

Let me tell you about David Choe. He's not your average artist—this guy’s got a net worth of $300 million, and that’s no typo. Born and raised in Los Angeles, David is a painter, graffiti artist, graphic novelist, and muralist who’s made a name for himself in the art world. He’s famous for his figure paintings, and in the graffiti world, he's known as the guy behind the iconic bucktoothed whale. Choe’s worked with some pretty big names, like "Hustler," "Vice," and "Ray Gun," and co-hosted a podcast called "DVDASA" with adult film star Asa Akira. He's also written books, including "Slow Jams" (1999), "Bruised Fruit: The Art of David Choe" (2002), "Cursiv" (2003), and "David Choe" (2020). The 2008 documentary "Dirty Hands: The Art and Crimes of David Choe" gave the world a glimpse into his wild and unconventional life. Oh, and did I mention he's also appeared on TV shows like "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown," "Vice," "Better Things," and even "The Mandalorian"? This guy’s everywhere!

The Facebook Fortune

Back in the early 2000s, David Choe's graffiti caught the eye of Facebook President Sean Parker. Parker hired him to decorate the walls of Facebook's headquarters in Silicon Valley. When it came time to negotiate his fee, Choe asked for $60,000. Now, here’s where the story gets interesting. Sean Parker spoke to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who suggested Choe take his payment in company stock instead of cash. Smart move, right? Though it’s not clear exactly how many shares David received, we do know that at the time of Facebook's IPO, his equity was worth around $200 million. And considering how much Facebook's stock has skyrocketed since then, his holdings could have been worth anywhere from $300 to $500 million at various points. That’s a payday most of us can only dream of!

From Koreatown to Canvas

David Choe was born on April 21, 1976, in the vibrant Koreatown area of Los Angeles. His parents, Korean immigrants and born-again Christians, had high hopes for him, but life had other plans. Growing up, David was drawing "Star Wars" and "G.I. Joe" images, but everything changed in 1990 when he discovered graffiti, inspired by local artists Hex and Mear One. Life took a dramatic turn when his parents' real estate business was destroyed during the 1992 L.A. riots. At just 16, David dropped out of high school and embarked on a two-year journey, hitchhiking across America, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. When he returned to California at 21, he enrolled at the California College of the Arts but dropped out after two years. But dropping out didn’t stop him from making waves in the art world.

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Art Career: From Graffiti to Gallery

David Choe’s career wasn’t always smooth sailing. At one point, his graffiti got him a week-long stint in prison. But instead of letting it break him, he moved back in with his parents and started writing and illustrating for magazines, including "Vice." He also appeared in "Vice’s" web series "Thumbs Up!" (2007–2010), where he and his best friend, Harry Kim, hitchhiked and train-hopped around the U.S. and hitchhiked across China. Around this time, he also began working with "Giant Robot," a pop culture store and magazine that gave him a platform to showcase his work. When art galleries weren’t interested in his art, he took matters into his own hands and hung his work at the Double Rainbow ice cream shop on Melrose Avenue. Customers loved it so much that the shop let him exhibit his work there for two years, adding a new piece every time one sold. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade!

In 2006, he self-published the graphic novel "Slow Jams," starting with around 200 copies he handed out at Comic-Con in 1998. After submitting it for the Xeric Grant, he won $5,000 to self-publish an expanded edition of 1,000 copies. The graphic novel, originally priced at $4, now sells for hundreds of dollars on eBay. His work didn’t stop there. Harry Kim filmed thousands of hours of David's life, which culminated in the 2008 documentary "Dirty Hands: The Art and Crimes of David Choe." After several solo shows in San Francisco and San Jose, Choe had his first solo exhibit at the Santa Rosa Museum of Contemporary Art in 2005. His first New York exhibition, "Gardeners of Eden," took place at Chelsea's Jonathan LeVine Gallery in 2007, followed by his first U.K. exhibition, "Murderous Heart," at the Lazarides Gallery in London and Newcastle in 2008. In 2013, he held an exhibition of his watercolors at the Museo Universario del Chopo in Mexico City, and in 2017, he hosted an invite-only exhibit, "The Choe Show," in Koreatown. Choe also designed the cover of Jay-Z and Linkin Park's 2004 "Collision Course" EP and voiced the lead character in the 2007 animated film "We Are The Strange." This guy’s done it all!

Personal Life: Controversy and Charity

David Choe isn’t just about art; he’s also involved in charity work, helping raise funds for Wyclef Jean's Yle Haiti and painting with at-risk children through The LIDÈ Haiti Foundation, co-founded by "The Office" star Rainn Wilson and his wife, author Holiday Reinhorn. But life hasn’t always been smooth sailing. In the early 2000s, David spent three months in a Tokyo prison after punching an undercover security guard due to a language barrier. While in prison, he created over 600 drawings with "the one pen his cell was allowed" and even made erotic paintings using tea, soy sauce, blood, and urine. After his release, he was banned from returning to Japan. In 2014, he sparked controversy by admitting on his podcast that he had exhibited "rapey behavior" toward a masseuse. He later clarified that the podcast should be considered fiction. In 2017, several artists protested when Choe was commissioned to paint the Bowery Mural Wall. Artist Jasmine Wahi, who helped organize a performance in front of the mural, stated, "Our aim is to provoke widespread rejection of the continued normalization of rape culture by bringing visibility to the topic." David apologized for his past comments, saying, "I have ZERO history of sexual assault. I am deeply sorry for any hurt I've brought to anyone through my past words. Non-consensual sex is rape and it is never funny or appropriate to joke about."

Real Estate: Living Large in Los Feliz

In 2010, David dropped $3.1 million on a 6,500 square-foot mansion in LA's Los Feliz neighborhood. Fast forward to September 2022, and he listed this home for sale at $6.9 million. That’s quite the upgrade for an artist who started out with graffiti on the streets of Koreatown!