Alexander Schaefer

Alex Schaefer (born 1969) is an American artist, painter, activist, and educator. He is a notable figure in the Los Angeles contemporary art scene, and has received widespread coverage regarding his series of paintings depicting real-world branches of various banks on fire.

Early life Alexander Schaefer was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1969, and is a graduate of the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. He has previously worked as a digital artist at Disney Interactive and Insomniac Games,

Artistic career Schaefer's work has been shown at galleries around California, including the Charlie James Gallery, the Pasadena Museum of California Art, and the Bergamot Station Arts Center.

The artist has received attention for his series of oil paintings portraying various banks in the Los Angeles area on fire, done en plein air in front of the buildings themselves. Much of the work in the series focuses on branches of Chase Bank, though other banks such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo have been depicted as well. The subject matter, as well as his presence near the buildings that he paints, has resulted in Schaefer being questioned by law enforcement at several instances. The series began evolving in 2009,

Schaefer has sold some paintings in his Banks on Fire series, with one painting in 2011 fetching upwards of $25,000.

On Thursday, September 14, 2023, Alex Schaefer ranked first on a list titled "The 9 Top Bitcoin Artists."