Jackie Gendel

Jackie Gendel's artwork focuses on the female figure while simultaneously exploring themes of pattern, collage-like space, and vibrant color.

Biography of Jackie Gendel

Jackie Gendel, born in 1973 in Houston, TX, is a contemporary artist based in Providence, RI. She holds a BA from Washington University in St. Louis and an MFA from Yale University.

Her work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group shows, including exhibitions at Inman Gallery in Houston, SOCO Gallery in Charlotte, and Thomas Erben Gallery in New York. Her paintings are part of collections such as the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art and the Progressive Collection. Gendel has been recognized by various publications, including Artforum, The New York Times, and Art in America.

In 2007, she received an Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Additionally, she participated in the Marie Walsh Sharpe Space Program in 2010 and was an artist-in-residence at the MacDowell Colony in 2005.

Jackie Gendel's Art Style

Jackie Gendel's art primarily focuses on the female figure, exploring themes of identity through pattern, collage-space, and color. Drawing from both art history and contemporary visual culture, her loose, interpretative style not only resonates with our understanding of the world today but also evokes the work of major Modernists like Sonia Delaunay, Hannah Höch, and Sophie Taeuber-Arp.

Gendel employs direct mark-making and gestured brushwork, often back-stopped by flows of liquid color. Her figures gather, dance, converse, and recline in settings like gardens, theaters, and drawing rooms. In some pieces, the bodies are faceless, while in others, the expressions themselves capture the mood of the scene.

Gendel's technique involves serial repetition and sequential imagery, emphasizing narrative playfulness and mystery. She frequently reworks her paintings, using color and size variations to challenge the singular image. Her early work, influenced by underground comics, reflects her background in "sequential image" storytelling.