Biography

Jerry Kearns’ “psychological pop” paintings represent a multidimensional quantum universe. Juxtaposing varied modes of representation, Kearns presents a visual mash-up that highlights how certain iconography expresses American belief structures. In compositions rife with conflict, questioning, contradictions and intrigue, Kearns depicts iconic figures sourced from Western popular culture engaged in perpetual power struggles, though it’s never clear who is winning. His characters fluctuate between protagonist and antagonist in a narrative that reflects our own constructions of reality – a matrix of thought where time and space are condensed and presented in a single, tense moment.

Jerry Kearns has exhibited internationally across the Americas, Europe, and Asia since the 1980s. He has been featured many times in The New York Times, Art and Auction, ARTnews, and Artforum, among others. His paintings are included in many public and private collections, including the Museum of Modern Art (New York), National Galerie (Berlin), Brooklyn Museum (New York), the Art Institute of Chicago, Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), The Norton Family Collection (Los Angeles), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Queensland Art Gallery (Queensland, Australia).