Jack Pierson
Jack Pierson was born in 1960 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. While studying at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, he became associated with a group of artists who would become known as the Boston School, of which Nan Goldin was also a central figure. Today Jack Pierson lives and works in both New York City and Southern California. Pierson's practice embodies an array of media spanning from wall-drawings, word-pieces, installations, drawings, paintings and photographs. His photographic works have often been compared to images from road movies, movies whose rapturous race toward fulfilment have become etched into the American landscape. His favourite subjects are drawn mostly from his daily life as a contemporary artist: fragments of urban landscapes, still lives of ordinary objects, homoerotic nudes, evocative words worked into collages or transformed into neons. Far from simply seeking to create traditional variations on the American Dream, the artist seeks instead to explore the flip side of the concept, searching to express what he calls “the tragedy inherent in the pursuit of glamour”.
Solo exhibitions
2013
THE END OF THE WORLD, Regen Projects, Los Angeles
Ennui (La Vie Continue), Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac
2012
Jack Pierson : Jesus and Nazimova, Xavier Hufkens, Brussel
2010
Go There Now and Take This With You, Bortolami Gallery, NY, New York, USA
Kukje Gallery, Seoul, South-Korea
Regen Projects, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Jack Pierson: New Photographs, Galerie Sabine Knust, Munich, Germany
Jack Pierson, Regina Gallery, Moscow
2009
Jack Pierson- CAC. Centro de Arte Conemporaneo de Malaga
Jack Pierson, Abstracts, Cheim & Read, New York, USA
Jack Pierson, Galleria Christian Stein, Milan, Italy
2008
Jack Pierson - Musée d'Ixelles - Museum van Elsene, Bruxelles
Jack Pierson- Irish Museum of Modern Art
Jack Pierson - Xavier Hufkens, Bruxelles
2007
Jack Pierson - Xavier Hufkens, Bruxelles
Jack Pierson - Regen Projects, Los Angeles, CA
2006
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris
"Melancholia Passing into Madness", Cheim & Read, New York
2005
Danziger Projects, New York (2/4 - 3/19/05)
"Self Portraits," Galeria Javier Lopez, Madrid (6/8 - 7/31/05)
Albert Merola Gallery, Provincetown, MA (8/19-9/1)
Alison Jacques Gallery, London (10/20 - 11/19/05)
"Early Works and Beyond-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", Daniel Reich Gallery, New York, (12/15-
2004
"Self Portraits" Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris
"Self Portraits," Regen Projects, LA (6/4 - 7/3/04)
Galerie Sabine Knust, Munich (11/10/04 - 1/22/05)
2003
"Jack Pierson" Cheim & Read, New York
"Jack Pierson", Galerie Aurel Scheibler
"Why Jack Pierson" University of the Arts, Rosenwald-Wolf and Hamilton Galleries, Philadelphia, PA
"Jack Pierson" Hamilton Galleries, London
2002
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg
"Regrets", Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami
Andre Simoens, Knokke, Belgium
"Truth," Galerie Aurel Scheibler, Cologne, Germany
Jack Pierson : Recent Work Angstrom Gallery, Dallas Texas
2001
Taché-Lévy Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
Photology, Milan, Italy
Taka Ishii Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
"Under the Top" Regen Projects, Los Angeles
Glenn Horowitz Bookstore, East Hampton, NY, curated by Edsel Williams
2000
Robert Pearre Fine Art, Tucson, Arizona
"La Vie", Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris
"Signs of the Times," (1 from a series of 3 one-person exhibitions)
realARTways, Hartford, CT
Provincetown Art Association and Museum, MA
Cheim & Read, New York, NY
1999
Cheim & Read, New York, USA
Sprengel Museum Hannover, Germany
Kunstverein Heilbronn, Germany
Albert Merola Gallery, Provincetown, USA
The Art Association, Provincetown, USA
Espacio Aglutinador, Havana, Cuba
Roger Bjorkholmen Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
1998
American Fine Arts, Co., New York, USA
Regen Projects, Los Angeles, USA
Aurel Scheibler, Cologne, Germany
1997
Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt, Germany
Aurel Scheibler, Cologne, Germany
1996
NZET Project, Gent, Belgium
Luhring Augustine Gallery, New York, USA
White Cube, London, Great Britain
Module Centro Difuso de Arte, Lisbon, Portugal
Galerija Dante Marino Cettina, Stella Maris, Croatia
Galerie Philipe Rizzo, Paris, France
Regen Projects, Los Angeles, USA
Ursula Blickle Stiftung, Kraichtal, Germany
1995
Jack Hanley Gallery, San Francisco, USA
Baldwin Gallery, Aspen, USA
Parco Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Theoretical Events, Naples, Italy
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, USA
Galerie Aurel Scheibler, Cologne, Germany
Texas Gallery, Houston, USA
Galleri Index, Stockholm, Sweden
Galleri Roger Bjorkhomen, Stockholm, Sweden
1994
Fine Arts Work Centre, Provincetown, USA
Luhring Augustine Gallery, New York, USA
"Edward Hopper & Jack Pierson", The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA
Regen Projects, Los Angeles, USA
1993
Jack Hanley Gallery, San Francisco, USA
1992
Tom Cugliani, New York, USA
White Columns, New York, USA
Galerie Aurel Scheibler, Cologne, Germany
Richard Kuhlenschmidt Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
1991
Richard Kuhlenschmidt Gallery, Los Angeles,USA
Pat Hearn Gallery, New York, USA
1990
Simon Watson, New York, USA
Group exhibitions
2013
DISASTER, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris-Pantin
2012
McDermott & McGough and Jack Pierson: The Palm Beach Story, or What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Gavlak Gallery,Palm Beach, FL, USA
Death Can Dance, Townhouse, Zürich
The Sight of Sound, 60 Wall Gallery, Deutsche Bank, New York, NY, USAunny, curated by Heidi Zuckerman Jacobson, the Flag Art Foundation, New York, USA
Detournement: Signs of the Times, curated by Carlo McCormick, Jonathan LeVine Gallery, New York
RE-Mixed Messages, organized by Transformer and Visual AIDS, Fathom Gallery, Washington D.C.
2011
The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Galerie Yvon Lambert, New York, NY, USA
After Images, Jewish Museum of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium
The Last First Decade, Ellipse Foundation, Cascais, Portugal
Living Life, The Center (The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center), New York, NY, USA
Jack Pierson and Elliott Puckette - Collage, Danzinger Projects, New York, NY, USA
Everything You Can Imagine Is Real..., Xavier Hufkens, Brussels, Belgium
Absentee Landlord, The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, USA
Off the Wall / Fora da Parede, Serralves Foundation, Porto, Portugal
Mixed Messages, Visual AIDS, La MaMa La Galleria, New York, USA
George Herms: Xenophilia: Love of the Unknown, MOCA Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood, CA, Los Angeles, USA
Distant Star: an exhibition organized around the writings of Roberto Bolano, Regen Projects, Los Angeles
2010
Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture, National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C., DC, USA
Illuminations (After Arthur Rimbaud) - Sculpting the Light From the East, Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery, NY, New York, USA
Male, Maureen Paley, London, UK
Sweat, Patricia Low Contemporary, Gstaad, Switzerland
Third Thoughts, CCA Andratx, Spain
Country Music, Blum & Poe Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Robert Melee’s Talent Show, The Kitchen, New York, NY, USA
Kurt, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA, USA Twenty Five, Luhring Augustine Gallery, New York, NY, USA
This is My Condition, Galeria Filomena Soares, Lisbon, Portugal
Who are you close to, JANE KIM/thrust projects, New York, NY, USA
Light Breaks Where No Sun Shines, The Webster, Miami Beach, FL, USA
Think Pink, curated Beth Rudin DeWoody, Gavlak Gallery, Palm Beach, FL, USA
Denim, 80WSE Gallery, New York, NY, USA
2009
25 For 25: A Tribute to Ron Warren, Mary Boone Gallery, New York
Monumental, Projex-Mtl, Montréal, Canada
Stars!, Salon 94, New York, USA
Arles Photofestival 09, Les Rencontres d’Arles Photographie
Flower Power, VIlla Giulia - Centro di Ricerca Arte Attuale, Torino, Italy
sh(OUT) - Contemporary Art and Human Rights, Culture and Sport Glasgow, Scotland
Location, Danziger Projects, New York, USA
Chelsea Visits Havana, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana, Cuba
Kids Behaving Badly, Clampart, New York
Just What Are They Saying, curated by Beth Rudin De Woody, Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, New Orleans From the Archives: 40 Years, 40 Projects, White Columns, New York, USA
2008
Ego Documents. Das Autobiografische in der Gegenwartskunst - Kunstmuseum Bern, Berne
How To Cook A Wolf: Part One - Dinter Fine Art, New York, NY
Musical Paintings - ScheiblerMitte, Berlin
Boys Of Summer - The Fireplace Project, East Hampton, NY
Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967 - Musée d´art contemporain de Montréal, Montreal, QC
FEAR - Wedel Fine Art, Londres
Collection Agustín et Isabel Coppel, Mexico: Expected/Unexpected - La Maison Rouge, Paris
Pretty Ugly - Gavin Brown's Enterprise GBE modern, New York, NY
E-flux Video Rental - Centro de Arte Moderna José de Azeredo Perdigão - Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisboa
Blasted Allegories - Werke aus der Sammlung Ringier - Kunstmuseum Luzern, Luzern
Couples - Roger Björkholmen Galleri, Stockholm
Desenhos estranhos [Uncanny drawings] - Porta 33, Funchal
HERE AND NOW. PART I - Regina Gallery, Moscou
Nina in Position - Artists Space, New York, NY
The Sum of its Parts - Cheim & Read, New York, NY
2007
Martin Maloney, Robert Mapplethorpe, Jack Pierson, Xavier Hufkens, Brussels, Belgium
2006
"Seeing the Light", Carl Solway Gallery, Cincinnati, OH
2005
"Drawings A to Z: Colecao Madeira Corporate Services", Porta 33, Ilha da Madeira, Portugal
"Collection 2", Fondation Pour L'art Contemporain Claudine et Jean-Marc Salomon, Chateau k'Arenthon, Alex, France
"Getting Emotional," ICA, Boston
"Word Play", Julie Saul Gallery, New York
"Male Desire Two", Mary Ryan Gallery, New York
"A Thousand Words", Inman Gallery, Houston, Texas
"The Culture of Queer", Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA
"All in the Family (NY Edition)," Mailena Braun, curator, Texas Gallery, Houston, TX
"Romance", Cristina Guerra Contemporary Art, Lisbon, Portugal
Projex MTL Galerie, Centre d'Amherst, Montreal
"Looking at Words: The Formal Presence of Text in Modern and Contemporary Works on Paper", Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York
2004
"Double Check," The Gallery of Contemporary Art, Celje, Slovenia, traveling to the Camera Austria at the Kunsthaus Graz (2005)
"I am the Walrus," Cheim & Read, New York
"Word of Mouth, A Selection: Part I," Dinter Fine Art, New York
"High Desert Test Sites Four", organized by Andrea Zittel, Shaun Caley-Regen, Lisa Anne Auerbach, John Connelly, and Andy Stillpass, Joshua Tree, CA
Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
2003
"inaugural Exhibition", Regen Projects, Los Angeles
"Abstraction in Photography: Von Lintel Gallery, New York
"Imaging the Abstract", Feigen Contemporary
Kunst-Station, Cologne, Germany (TK)
"Social Startegies", University Galleries, Illinois State University
2002
"5 Sculptures: Tony Feher, Robert Gober, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Mike Kelley, Jack Pierson," D'Amelio Terras Gallery, New York
"Chapter V," Art Resources Transfer, New York
"Electric Dreams," The Barbican, London, England
Ahead of the 21st Century, The Pisces Collection, Furstenberg Sammlungen, Donaueschingen,
"Visions of America: Photographs from the Whitney Museum of American Art 1940-2001"
"Ahead of the 21st Century: The Pisces Collection"
"Mensaje de Texto", Galeria Helga de Alvear
2001
"A Way With Words: Selection s from the Whitney Museum of American Art", Whitney Museum of American Art
"Postmodern Americans", The Menil Collection, Houston, TX
"Pat Hearn Gallery: Part Two (1988-1994)", Pat Hearn Gallery, New York
"Rocks & Trees", Photographic Resource Center, Boston
"After Image", IKON Ltd./Kay Richards Contemporary Art, Santa Monica, CA
"Spiritual America," Audiello Fine Arts, Inc, New York, NY
"Geometrie & Gestus," curated by Nikolaus Ruzicska, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
"Signs of the Times," H&R Art Space, Kansas City, Missouri
'Masculinities', Nikolaj, Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center.
"The Magic Hour", Die Konvergenze von Kunst Und Las Vegas, Curated by Alex Farquharson
2000
"Couples", Cheim&Read, New York, USA
Le Pintemps de Cahors, Cahors France
"Quotidiana: The Continuity of the Everyday in 20th Century Art,"
Castello di Rivoli, Torina, Italy
"On Language," Sean Kelly Gallery, New York
"Jack Pierson, Mark Flood, and Dan McCarthy," curated by Jack Pierson,
Anton Kern Gallery, New York
"H", Clifford-Smith Gallery, Boston, MA
"PICT," Walter Phillips Gallery for Contemporary Arts, Banff, Canada,
curated by Yvonne Force
"Issue: group show," Curated by Jack Pierson, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac,
Paris, France
1999
"Hindsight: Works from the Permanent Collection", Whitney Museum of American Arts, New York, USA
"Two by Two for AIDS", Dallas, USA
"Insight-Out", Kunstraum Innsbruck, Austria; Kunsthaus Hamburg, Germany; Kunsthaus Baselland, Switzerland
"Free Coke", Greene Naftali, New York, USA
"Marlborough Chelsea, New York, USA "Views from the Edge of the World"
"Collectors Collect Contemporary", The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, USA (curated by Jessica Morgan)
"Conceptual Art as Neurobiological Praxis", Thread Waxing Space, New York, USA (curated by Warren Neidich)
"Re: Rauschenberg", Marcel Sitcoske Gallery, San Francisco, USA
"Former Fellows of New York", Walker Gallery, Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA, then to Larnia Ink. Gallery
"Transmute", Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, USA (curated by
Joshua Decter)
"Pixel, Digitally Inspired Paintings" curated by Yvonne Force
"Changing Faces: Contemporay Portraiture", Jim Kempner Fine Art, New York, USA
"A Place called Lonely", Greene Naftali, New York, then to Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Provincetown, USA
"H2O", Albert Merola Gallery, Provincetown, USA (curated by Tim Callis)
"The Ecstatic", Trans Hudson Gallery, a project sponsored by
The Lindensmith Center (curated by Simon Watson)
"The American Century, The Final Victory, Part III", James Danzinger Gallery, New York, USA
"Photography", Ascan Crone Gallery, Hamburg, Germany
"Times Squared", Keith De Lellis Gallery, New York, USA
"The American Century Part II, 1950 - 2000", The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA
International Festival of Fashion Photography, Kobe Fashion Museum, Tokyo, Japan
"Ego Alter Ego. The Self-portrait in Contemporary Photography",
Nassauischer Kunstverein, Wiesbaden, Germany
1998
"Collection, un autre regard", capc Musée d'Art Contamporain,
Bordeaux, France
"The Sound of One Hand", Apex Art, New York, USA (curated by Collier Schorr)
"View IV", Mary Boone Gallery, New York, USA
"Painting: Now and Forever, Part 1" Pat Hearn Gallery & Matthew Marks Gallery , New York, USA
"Bathroom", Thomas Healy Gallery, New York, USA (curated by Wayne Koestenbaum)
"Small Paintings", Cheim & Read, New York, USA
"I love New York", Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany
"Portraits", Paul Morris Gallery, USA
"Male", Wessel & O'Connor Gallery, New York, USA
"Early Works", Regen Projects, Los Angeles, USA
"Landschaft", Trinkhaus Galerie, Trinkhaus & Burkhardt, Düsseldorf, Germany
"Emotions & Relations", Hamburger Kunsthalle, Germany Edition Schellmann, New York, USA (neon exhibited)
1997
"Art at the End of the 20th Century: Selections from the Whitney Museum of American Art",
Museo d'Arte Contemporani de Barcelona, Spain; Kunstmuseum, Bonn, Germany
1996
"Urgence", CAPC Musée d'Art Contemporain de Bordeaux, France
"More than Real", Palazzo Reale, Caserta, Italy
"Black and Blue", Groninger Museum, Groningen, Netherlands
"Defining the Nineties: Consensus Making in New York, Miami and Los Angeles", Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami, USA
"Colorealism: Photography Enter the Third Millenium", Photology, Milan, Italy
"Art at Home: Ideal Standard Life", Tokyo, Japan
"Der soziale Blick", Art Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
"Exposure", Luhring Augustine Gallery, New York, USA
"All of a Sudden", Galerie Aurel Scheibler, Cologne, Germany
"Boralis 7 Desire", Lousiana Museum of Art, Humlebaek, Denmark,
(travelled to: Bergen Billedgaleri, Bergen, Norway; Galleri F15, Moss, Norway; Dasselblad, Center/ Göteborge Konstmuseum, Göteborg, Sweden; Turku Art Museum, Turku, Finland)
"Disneyland After Dark", Kunstamt Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany
"Radikale Bilder: 2 Österreichische Triennale für Fotografie, Neue
Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum & Künstlerhaus, Graz, Austria
(traveled to: Szombathely Képtar, Szombathely, Hungary; GaleriSander, Darmstadt, Germany)
"Art at the End of the 20th Century: Selections from the Whitney Museum of American Art", Alexandros Soutzos Museum, Athens, Greece (Travelling)
1995
"1995 Whitney Biannual", Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA
"Nan Goldin, Mark Morrisoe, Jack Pierson", Taka Ishii Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
"Boston School', Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, USA
"In a Different Light", University Art Museum, Berkeley, USA
The Nordic Art Center, Helsinki, Finland
"Disneyland After Dark", Uppsala Konstmuseum, Uppsala, Sweden
"Close to Life", 3 Internationale Foto-Triennale Esslingen, Germany
1994
"Passing Through", Galerie Walcheturm, Zurich, Switzerland
"Psycho-Pathology of Everyday Life", Ruth Bloom Gallery, Santa Monica, USA
"A Garden", Barbara Krakow Gallery, Boston, USA
"GIFT", The Inter Art Centre, New York, USA
"Making Waves", Provincetown Art Association and Museum,Provincetown, USA
"Abstract Works on Paper", Robert Miller Gallery, New York, USA
Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington
"Sculpture", Luhring Augustine Gallery, New York, USA
"In the Field: Landscape in Recent Photography", Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
"Small Paintings", Paul Morris Gallery, New York, USAY
1993
"Simply Made in America", Aldrich Museum of Contemporary
Art, Ridgefield, USA
"The 1993 Whitney Biennial", The Whitney Museum of America Art, New York, USA
"Nobuyoshi Araki, Sophie Calle, Larry Clark, Jack Pierson", Luhring Augustine Gallery, New York, USA
"Urban Analysis", Barbara Braathen Gallery, New York, USA
"Stoned (HighLow)", Ruth Bloom Gallery, Santa Monica, USA
"Tema AIDS", Henie Onstad Foundation, Hövikodden, Norway
"Irony & Ecstacy", Salena-Caro Gallery, London, Great Britain
"Snap!", Tomoko Ligouri Gallery, New York, USA
"The Whitney Biennial in Seoul", National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea
"Works on Paper", Jack Hanley Gallery, San Francisco, USA
"Summer Reading", Texas Gallery, Houston, USA
"Tabboo", Tom Gugliani, New York, USA
"Drawing the Line Against AIDS", Guggenheim Museum SOHO, New York, USA
"Picturing Ritual", The Centre for Photography, Woodstock & the Neuberger Museum, SUNY, Purchase, USA
1992
"How is it", Tony Shafrazi, New York, USA
Jack Hanley Gallery, San Francisco, USA
"Healing", Wooster Gardens, New York, USA
"Dessanges", Regen Projects, Los Angeles, USA
Pat Hearn Gallery, New York, USA
"Hollywood, Hollywood: Identity under the Guise of Celebrity",
Pasadena Art Alliance, Pasadena, USA
"Identities.....", Forum Stadtpark, Graz, Austria
"True Stories", Institute of Contemporary Art, London, Great Britain
"White Columns Update 1992", White Columns, New York, USA
"The Anti-Masculine", Run Light Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
"Developing Language", Hirschl&Adler Modern, New York, USA
"The Language of Flowers", Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York, USA
1991
Galerie Aurel Scheibler, Cologne, Germany
"Selections 51", The Drawing Centre, New York, USA
"Philip-Lorca di Corcia, Nan Goldin, Jack Pierson", York University, Toronto, Canada
"From Desire....", Richard Bush Gallery, New York, USA
"Something Pithier and More Psychological", Simon Watson, New York, USA
"Someone or Somebody", Meyers/Bloom Gallery, Santa Monica, USA
"Drawings", Lorence-Monk, New York, USA
"Situation", New Langton Arts, San Francisco, USA
"Presenting Rearwards", Rosamund Felsen Gallery, Los Angeles,USA
1990
Tom Cugliani, New York, USA
"Blood remembering", Snug Harbour Center for the Arts, New York
Public and private collections
Baltimore Museum of Contemporary Art, Baltimore, USA
CAPC, Bordeaux, USA
FRAC Korsika, France
FRAC Haute Normandie, France
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, USA
Graphische Sammlung der ETH, Zurich, Switzerland
Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
Los Angeles County Museum of Art,
California Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, USA
Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA
Norsk Museum of Fotografi, Preus Fotomuseum, Horten
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, USA
Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, USA
The Walker Art Centre, Minneapolis, USA
The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, USA