See 12 Artists’ Adorable Childhood Photos

Happy Throwback Thursday.

Cindy Sherman, Untitled D (1975).Photo: Tate.org.

Cindy Sherman, Untitled D (1975). 
Photo: Tate.org.uk.

Childhood photos: those treasured memories of your halcyon days that you adore—that is, until your mom pulls them out in front of your new significant other on Thanksgiving after one too many glasses of wine.

Luckily, we’re not your mom, and you’re (probably) not a famous artist, so you’re in the clear for now. But if you’ve ever wondered what iconic artists like Tracey Emin, Andy Warhol, and Salvador Dalí looked like in their formative years, you’ve come to the right place.

Tracey Emin. Photo: Left, Emin and her brother at age six. Via DailyMail. Right, Emin now.

Tracey Emin.
Photo: Left, Emin and her brother at age six. Via DailyMail. Right, Wikipedia.

Tracey Emin
Tracey Emin seems to have adopted her signature scowl later in life, because it appears she was all smiles around the age of six alongside her twin brother Paul.

 

K8 Hardy. Photo: Left, Instagram/@k8hardball. Right, Tumblr.

K8 Hardy.
Photo: Left, Instagram/@k8hardball. Right, Tumblr.

K8 Hardy
Take one look at performance artist K8 Hardy’s Instagram account and it’s clear she is almost always ready to ham it up in front of the camera. Apparently, she comes by the trait honestly.

 

Jeff Koons. Photo: Right, Jeff Koons, The New Jeff Koons (1980), via Art21. Left,  Patrick McMullan Company.

Jeff Koons.
Photo: Left, Jeff Koons, from The New Jeff Koons (1980), via Art21. Right, Patrick McMullan Company.

Jeff Koons
Jeff Koons isn’t shy about his (frankly, pretty adorable) past. The artist turned this childhood photo into an artwork, called The New Jeff Koons, when he placed it inside a fluorescent light box in 1980. We definitely see the resemblance.

 

Jean-Michel Basquiat. Photo: Left, Pinterest. Right, Wikipedia.

Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Photo: Left, Pinterest. Right, Wikipedia.

Jean-Michel Basquiat
Legendary painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, appears to have maintained the same intense gaze from childhood until adulthood.

 

Lucien Smith. Photo: Left, Instagram. Right, Patrick McMullan.

Lucien Smith.
Photo: Left, Instagram. Right, Patrick McMullan.

Lucien Smith
Lucien Smith, a two-time feature on Forbes’ coveted “30 under 30” list, has kept many of the features displayed in a childhood photo with a friendly horse. (We hope he still has that bomber jacket.)

 

Hank Willis Thomas Photo: Left, Instagram/@hankwillisthomas. Right, Patrick McMullan.

Hank Willis Thomas.
Photo: Left, Instagram/@hankwillisthomas. Right, Patrick McMullan.

Hank Willis Thomas
It’s nice to know conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas has always had the same sunny smile and stylish swagger.

 

Andy Warhol. Photo: Left, Courtesy  Andy Warhol Foundation. Right, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol (1983), Courtesy Tate.

Andy Warhol.
Photo: Left, Courtesy Andy Warhol Foundation. Right, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol (1983), Courtesy Tate.

Andy Warhol
Pop art master Andy Warhol famously considered himself to be ugly, but we think the Pittsburgh native was a pretty cute kid.

 

Salvador Dali. Photo: Right, The Dali Museum. Left, Wikipedia.

Salvador Dali.
Photo: Left, The Dali Museum. Right, Wikipedia.

Salvador Dalí
Do you see the resemblance between these two stages of Salvador Dali? Neither do we. But take away the moustache and leopard, and all is revealed in the eyebrows.

 

Pablo Picasso. Photo: Left, Pinterest. Right, Wikipedia.

Pablo Picasso.
Photo: Left, Pinterest. Right, Wikipedia.

Pablo Picasso
Striped-shirt aficionado Pablo Picasso maintains the same intense stare in both shots, but it looks like his sense of style loosened up a bit over the six or so decades in between these photos.

 

Frida Kahlo. Photo: Left, via My Modern Met. Right, Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird,  Nickolas Muray Collection, via WIkipedia.

Frida Kahlo.
Photo: Left, via My Modern Met. Right, Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird (1940) Nickolas Muray Collection, via WIkipedia.

Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo’s eyebrows—not to mention the her decadent, bohemian sense of style—is the stuff of legend today. But once upon a time, she was just a little girl with a massive bow and a poofy gingham dress.

 

Yayoi Kusama. Photo: Left, Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo / © Yayoi Kusama, Yayoi Kusama Studio Inc. Right, Wikipedia.

Yayoi Kusama.
Photo: Left, Ota Fine Arts, Tokyo / © Yayoi Kusama, Yayoi Kusama Studio Inc. Right, Wikipedia.

Yayoi Kusama
The Japanese artist, pictured on the left in 1939 at the tender age of ten, clearly figured out her signature haircut and expression early in life. We’re envious.

 

Dale Chihuly. Photo: Left, Courtesy Chihuly Studio. Right, Courtesy Chihuly Studio.

Dale Chihuly.
Photo: Left, Courtesy Chihuly Studio. Right, Courtesy Chihuly Studio.

Dale Chihuly
Glass sculptor Dale Chihuly’s wild hair and chubby cheeks haven’t changed at all. We’re not surprised.


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