About Jonas Wood

Jonas Wood (b. 1977, Boston) is a leading American contemporary artist celebrated for his bold, graphic paintings, drawings, collages, and fine art prints. Now based in Los Angeles, Wood has developed a highly recognizable visual language that translates three-dimensional space into flattened planes of vibrant color and simplified forms. His figurative style draws upon both personal experience and art historical traditions, creating a unique synthesis of intimacy and universality.

Wood’s artwork spans diverse subjects, from lush botanical still lifes and densely patterned domestic interiors to portraits, landscapes, and sports imagery. His paintings often begin with photographic references, which he meticulously deconstructs and reconstructs into striking compositions that blur the line between representation and abstraction. This process allows him to explore visual space with remarkable precision while maintaining a sense of warmth and playfulness.

Influenced by artists such as Henri Matisse, David Hockney, and Alex Katz, Jonas Wood brings a contemporary perspective to modernist concerns with color, pattern, and form. His still lifes and roomscapes are especially admired for their bold palettes and layered surfaces, which turn everyday environments into captivating scenes charged with rhythm and energy.

In addition to his large-scale paintings, Jonas Wood has become highly regarded for his limited edition prints, lithographs, and screenprints. These editions capture the same graphic clarity and vibrant intensity of his paintings, offering collectors and audiences worldwide access to his instantly recognizable imagery. His multifaceted practice across painting, drawing, and printmaking continues to shape his reputation as one of the most influential voices in American contemporary art today.

Notable exhibitions

Jonas Wood’s artwork has been presented in major solo and group exhibitions at leading museums and galleries worldwide. His first survey exhibition, Jonas Wood: Plants and Animals, was held at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2010), establishing him as a significant figure in the contemporary art scene.

Further important solo shows followed at the Dallas Museum of Art (2019), where his large-scale paintings and prints were brought together in a career-spanning retrospective, and at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2016), which highlighted his dynamic use of pattern and form.

Wood’s work has also featured in key international exhibitions, including presentations at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. His prints and paintings are represented in major public collections such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Broad in Los Angeles, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, affirming his international recognition.