Born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1966
Lives in Des Moines
Education
1991Parsons School of Design, New York; BFA
One-Person Exhibitions
2012“Common Scents,” Feature Inc., New York
2011“Free. Dumb.” Twig Gallery, Brussels
2010Blondeau Fine Art Services, Geneva
2009Feature Inc., New York
2008Gallery Minmin, Tokyo
2007“New Work,” Kevin Bruk Gallery, Miami
2005Blondeau Fine Art Services, Geneva (brochure)
2004Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA (brochure)
“Actual Sighs,” Feature Inc., New York (catalogue)
2003Feature Inc., New York
2002“Singles,” Kevin Bruk Gallery, Miami
2001Feature Inc., New York
2000M du B, F, H, & g, Montreal
The Suburban, Oak Park, IL
1999Feature Inc., New York
1998Feature Inc., New York
Selected Group Exhibitions
2013“Punt,” Feature Inc., New York
“L’Embarras du choix: La peinture figurative dans les collections du FRAC Franche-Comté,”
La Galerie du Granit & La Tour 46, Belfort, France
2011“bodybraingame,” Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago
“Sioux City Art Center’s Legacy Collection Exhibition II,” IA
“Chuck Close, Alex Brown, Fabian Marcaccio, Thomas Nozkowski,” BravinLee Programs, New York
2010“The Jewel Thief,” The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, Saratoga Springs, NY;
curated by Ian Berry and Jessica Stockholder
2009“Why Painting Now,” BFAS/Blondeau Fine Art Services, Geneva
“Pictural Astraction,” Taché-Levy Gallery, Brussels; curated by Ariel Roger-Paris
2008“Shit,” Feature Inc., New York
“Déformalismes” Praz-Delavallade Gallery, Paris; curated by Vincent Pecoil
2007“Painting as Fact – Fact as Fiction,” de Pury & Luxembourg, Zurich; curated by Robert Nickas
2006“Twice Drawn” (Parts 1 and 2), Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery,
Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY (catalogue)
“A Certain Likeness,” Gallery W 52, New York (brochure)
“Ruth Root, Alex Brown, Cameron Martin, Sally Ross,” Gallery Minmin, Tokyo
“Block Party,” Daniel Weinberg Gallery, Los Angeles
“The Expanded Eye,” Kunsthaus Zurich, Zurich; curated by Bice Curiger (catalogue)
“Exquisite Corpse—Cadavre Exquis: A game played between Mitchell Algus and Bob Nickas,”
Mitchell Algus Gallery, New York
2005“The sun rises in the evening.,” Feature Inc., New York
2004 “The Four-Color Pen Show,” Locust Projects, Miami; The General Store, Milwaukee, WI;
curated by Elysia Borowy and Heather Hubbs
“pOp,” Galerie Francesca Pia, Bern, Switzerland; curated by Vincent Pécoil
“About Painting,” Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY
(catalogue)
“Curious Crystals of Unusual Purity,” P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, NY; organized by
Robert Nickas and Steve Lafreniere
“Abstract Reality,” Sead Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
2003“My people were fair and had cum in their hair (but now they’re content to spray stars from your boughs),”
Team Gallery, New York; curated by Robert Nickas
2002“Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere,” Kevin Bruk Gallery, Miami
“Post-Digital Painting,” Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI (catalogue)
“From the Observatory,” Paula Cooper Gallery, New York; curated by Robert Nickas (catalogue)
“GtT2,” Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco; curated by ANP (catalogue)
2001“Not a. Lear,” Galerie S. & H. De Buck, Ghent, Belgium; Gracie Mansion Gallery, New York;
Allston Skirt Gallery, Boston; curated by ANP
2000“Iowa Artists,” Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA
“Glee: Painting Now,” Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, CT; Palm Beach
Institute of Contemporary Art, Palm Beach, FL; curated by Amy Cappellazzo and Jessica Hough (catalogue)
“Exhibition of Newly Elected Members and Recipients of Honors and Awards,” American Academy of Arts and
Letters, New York
“Invitational Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture,” American Academy of Arts and Letters,New York
“Knife,” Electraslip, Chicago
“Not a. Lear,” Torch, Amsterdam; Art Process, Paris; curated by ANP
“Hairy Forearm’s Self-Referral,” Feature Inc., New York
“Bit by Bit: Painting and Digital Culture,” Numark Gallery, Washington, DC
“ALEX,” Kevin Bruk Gallery, Miami
“Open the pod bay doors, Hal.” Feature Inc., New York
1999“Huma Bhabha/Alex Brown,” M du B, F, H & g, Montreal
“Drawings,” Feature Inc., New York
1998“Opens,” M du B, F, H & g, Montreal
“Pudding,” Feature Inc., New York
Selected Bibliography
2010Grabner, Michelle and Brad Killam. Can I Come Over to Your House? The First Ten Years of The Suburban, 1999 –
2009, Poor Farm Press, Manawa, WI
2009Nickas, Bob. Painting Abstraction: New Elements in Abstract Painting, Phaidon Press, New York
2007Artworks: The Progressive Collection, Distributed Art Publishers, New York; essays by Dan Cameron,
Peter B. Lewis, Toby Devan Lewis, and Toni Morrison
2006Pécoil, Vincent. “The End of Perspective?,” Tate, Etc., no. 7 (Summer)
Pécoil, Vincent. “Alex Brown,” Contemporary, no. 83 (Focus: Drawing), 36–39 (reproductions)
Scott, Andrea K. “Match Game,” Time Out New York, 16–22 March
2005Hantes, Nadine and Cadige Azzeddine. “QuARTier Des Bains,” Sur La Terre, no. 15 (Autumn), 89 (reproduction)
Krienke, Mary. Review, ARTnews, December, 160
Nickas, Bob. “People Take Pictures of Each Other,” Influence, no. 2, 90–103 (reproduction)
Pécoil, Vincent. “Square Pusher,” text for exhibition brochure, BFAS/Blondeau Fine Art Services, Geneva
2004Fleming, Jeff. “Alex Brown,” text for exhibition brochure, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA
Pollock, Lindsay. “Fast and Furious: The Art Fair Scene,” Art Press, no. 305 (October), 26–30
2003The Suburban, The Early Years: 1999–2003, The Suburban, Oak Park, IL, 58–59
Azizian, Carol. “Cranbrook Exhibit Driven by Technology,” Flint Journal, 3 January, B1
Chomin, Linda Ann. “Post-Digital Exhibit Captures Painting ‘Of the Moment,’” Observer & Eccentric, 6 March, B2
Nickas, Bob. “Seeing Is...,” text for exhibition catalogue, Feature Inc., New York
Pécoil, Vincent. “Pop,” O2, no. 28 (Winter), 4–11 (reproduction)
2002Chen, Aric. “Commentary on Nothing,” Dutch 37 (January/February), 12 (reproduction)
Ocana, Damarys. Review, Street, 11–17 October, 51
2001Kushner, Rachel. “Editor’s Choice: art. Alex Brown,” Bomb, no. 77 (Fall), 6, 14 (reproduction)
Nickas, Robert. Live Free or Die: Collected Writings 1985–1999, Les Presses du Reel, 118–119
2000Dailey, Meghan. Review of “Glee,” Artforum, December, 149–50
Johnson, Ken. “Invitational Exhibition,” New York Times, 31 March, E35
Zimmer, William. “Serious Abstract Paintings with a Nonserious Message,” New York Times,
Connecticut edition, 31 December
“Q & A With Drawings and Paintings,” Yeti, no. 1, 63–69 (reproduction)
1999Johnson, Ken. Review, New York Times, 22 October , E41
Johnson, Ken. New York Times, Art Guide, 29 October, E40
Nickas, Bob. “Le Persone Fanno Quadri per Provare che Esistono,” Tema Celeste, March/April, 66–73
(reproduction)
Pinchbeck, Daniel. “Putting Themselves in the Picture,” The Art Newspaper, September, 72
Projects, Portfolios, and Reproductions
2012Davis, Jeff. Foundations of Design, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Boston, 8 (reproduction)
2008No Milk Today 1, no. 1, edited by Billy Miller (reproduction)
2007Untitled publication, no. 1 (Spring), Feature Inc., New York (reproductions)
2003Curve: The Female Nude Now, Universe Publishing, New York, 42–43 (reproductions)
Awards and Honors
2000Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award, American Academy of Arts and Letters,
New York
Professional Experience and Related Activities
2000“Virtually Formal,” moderated by Lane Relyea, Painting Symposium 2000, Betty Rymer Gallery, School of the Art
Institute of Chicago, Chicago; panelist
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL; visiting artist