Jordan Casteel

Jordan Casteel is a prominent American figurative painter known for her intimate portraits, which capture friends, family members, and the people of Harlem and New York City. 

Biography of Jordan Casteel

Jordan Casteel was born in 1989 in Denver, Colorado, and currently resides and works in New York.

Casteel's educational journey began with her studies at the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia in 2010. She later graduated with a BA in Studio Art from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, in 2011.

The artist pursued her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Painting and Printmaking at Yale University, completing her degree in 2014. During her time at Yale, she participated in group exhibitions and established valuable connections.

After earning her MFA, Jordan Casteel moved to New York City to pursue her painting career.

In 2015-2016, she became an artist-in-residence at The Studio Museum in Harlem, providing her with a year-long studio space, a fellowship grant, a stipend for materials, and a group exhibition alongside other artists-in-residence.

Jordan Casteel's Art Style and Exhibitions

Jordan Casteel's paintings often center on the subjectivity of black males. Her primary focus has been on depicting black subjects, capturing the diversity of their skin tones based on the lighting conditions during her sitters' photographs. She has portrayed her subjects in a range of shades, spanning from browns, greys, lime greens, and navy blues to light oranges.

Her art delves into themes of humanity, sexuality, identity, and subjectivity, and her use of bold colors and striking compositions has drawn comparisons to renowned artists like Jacob Lawrence, Nancy Spero, Henri Matisse, and Alice Neel.    

In August 2014, she had her first solo exhibition in New York, "Visible Man," at Sargent's Daughters.

Her second solo exhibition, "Brothers," opened in October 2015 at Sargent's Daughters. It featured large-scale dual-portrait paintings produced during her residency on Governor's Island. Her third solo show, "Nights in Harlem," opened at Casey Kaplan in September 2017, continuing her exploration of black male subjectivity within complex urban environments and interiors, and earning critical acclaim. In February 2019, Casteel had her first major solo exhibition at a museum, held at the Denver Art Museum.