Jeff Sonhouse
b. 1968 New York
Lives and works in New York
Hyper Masculinity, 2004.
About 1:
Affluent Blues, 2013.
Jeff Sonhouse concentrates on themes of black masculinity in his striking paintings that often find his subjects donning menacing, multipatterned masks and vivid, dandy-like suits. At times focusing on iconic or controversial figures, Sonhouse has created portraits of Colin Powell, Michael Jackson, and Diddy. In 2008, Sonhouse broke the mode of depicting only men with his exhibition Pawnography, which included a portrait of former U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.
About 2:
Gravity Lawlessness, 2010.
Papi Shampoo, 2010.
Over the past ten years, New York-based artist Jeff Sonhouse (b. 1968) has created a powerful body of portrait paintings depicting often-masked black male figures that consistently defy and obscure classification. Adept at mixing pattern, color, and material, Sonhouse’s paintings feature a variety of unusual materials such as matchsticks, steel wool and cowry shells, and include references to art historical figures from Ed Paschke to Pablo Picasso. The first solo museum exhibition devoted to Sonhouse’s work, Slow Motion brings together a selection of the artist’s paintings from 2003 to the present, including several recently created pieces that will be shown for the first time at the Tang.
Decompositioned, 2012.
Sonhouse’s comment on his participation in Romare Bearden Project of the Studio Museum:
“I’ve a few reasons to be thankful for being from Harlem, but one I’m most grateful for is the opportunity to see Romare Bearden’s work displayed in a neighborhood store every so often.
I first saw his work when I was twelve years old, and I remember staring at it as if it was an adult relative speaking to me. Although I knew nothing about him, the familiarity I had with the imagery he used to form his collages grabbed my attention long enough for me to listen to what I was seeing.
I can only wonder whether those exchanges are the reason I became an artist, but I know there is no other artist who has influenced my creative process as much as he has.
Thank you, Romare.”
Untitled, 2013.
Drafted, 2012 (Romare Bearden Project)
Courtesy: Tilton Gallery, 8 East 76 Street, New York, NY 10021.