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Jane Dickson (born May 18, 1952) is an American painter who lives and works in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. Her practice explores the psychogeography of American culture and was "forged in the crucible of New York’s late-seventies counterculture, where she participated in artist collectives like
Fashion Moda Fashion 时髦 Moda МОДА, whose name comes from “fashion” in English, Chinese, Spanish and Russian, colloquially referred to as Fashion Moda, started as a cultural concept guided by the idea that art can be made by anyone, anywhere. Fashion ...
,
Collaborative Projects Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. The f ...
,
ABC No Rio ABC No Rio is a collectively-run nonprofit arts organization on New York City's Lower East Side. Founded in 1980 in a squat at 156 Rivington Street, following the eviction of the 1979–80 Real Estate Show, the center featured an art gallery s ...
, and Group Material."


Biography

Jane Dickson was born in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
in 1952. Upon graduation from high school in 1970, she enrolled in the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Between 1971-1973 she studied at Radcliffe College and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston where she first met artist Nan Goldin. She received her B.A. from
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
in 1976, as well as a Studio Diploma from the
School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (Museum School, SMFA at Tufts, or SMFA; formerly the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) is a dedicated art school within Tufts University, a private research university in Mass ...
.


Artwork

Dickson is known for her dark iconic images that examine "the constructed world, and its psychological freight, the social structuring of desire and its disruption by the uncanny". Deploying unusual materials such as
AstroTurf AstroTurf is an American subsidiary of SportGroup that produces artificial turf for pitch (sports field), playing surfaces in sports. The original AstroTurf product was a pile (textile), short-pile synthetic turf invented in 1965 by Monsanto. Si ...
, vinyl, sandpaper, felt and carpet, which resonate with their particular subject, Dickson's paintings express her "fascination with the power of artificial light, as well as...surreal and sexually transgressive environment . Often depicting the spectacle in her work, her subjects include
Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...
(where she lived and/or worked from 1978 to 2008, participating in the
Colab Colab is the commonly used abbreviation of the New York City artists' group Collaborative Projects, which was formed after a series of open meetings between artists of various disciplines. History Colab members came together as a collective in ...
organized ''
The Times Square Show ''The Times Square Show'' was an influential collaborative, self-curated, and self-generated art exhibition held by New York artists' group Colab (aka Collaborative Projects, Inc) in Times Square in a shuttered massage parlor at 201 W. 41st and ...
''), demolition derbies, carnivals, suburban homes, and highways, among others. In addition to her large body of paintings, the artist organized “Messages to the Public”, a
Public Art Fund Public Art Fund is an independent, non-profit arts organization founded in 1977 by Doris C. Freedman. The organization presents contemporary art in New York City's public spaces through a series of highly visible artists' projects, new commissions ...
series which presented monthly artists’ projects created for Spectacolor's 1 Times Square Billboard. The project ran from 1982 to 1990 and the artists presented include
Keith Haring Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the Graffiti in New York City, New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual l ...
and
Jenny Holzer Jenny Holzer (born July 29, 1950) is an American neo-conceptual artist, based in Hoosick, New York. Her work focuses on the delivery of words and ideas in public spaces and includes large-scale installations, advertising billboards, projectio ...
. In her most recent contribution to Times Square, Dickson designed 67 mosaics of New Year's Eve revelers that were installed within the Port Authority 42nd Street and Times Square subway stations. Commissioned by the MTA (Metropolitan Transit Authority) in 2008, the mosaics are composed of Murano glass, and as art historian
Janetta Rebold Benton Janetta Rebold Benton is an American art historian. She is currently Distinguished Professor of Art History at Pace University in New York. Education Benton received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cornell University in 1967 and a Master of Arts ...
describes, the figures with their party hats and horns "seem able to elevate the moods of the actual people who hurry along the corridor."


Exhibitions

Dickson's work has been featured in 40 solo exhibitions and almost 200 group exhibitions in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Her pieces are in the permanent collections of 25 museums such as The
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
, The
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
(MoMA), The
Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a Modern art, modern and Contemporary art, contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighbor ...
, and The
Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...
. She received The Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Grant in 2013. She is married to American film director,
Charlie Ahearn Charlie Ahearn (born 1951) is an American film maker living in New York City. Although predominantly involved in film and video art production, he is also known for his work as an author, freelance writer, member of Colab, and radio host. He is ma ...
. Dickson is included in the 2022
Whitney Biennial The Whitney Biennial is a biennial exhibition of contemporary American art organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. The event began as an annual exhibition in 1932; the first biennial was held in 1973. It is considered ...
.


Bibliography of works by Jane Dickson

* Jane Dickson, ''Jane Dickson In Times Square''. Brooklyn, NY: Anthology Editions. 2018. 272 pp. ISBN 978-1-944860-14-

* Laura Brown, ''James Fuentes Press #4: Jane Dickson.'' New York, NY: James Fuentes Press. 2022. 151 pp. ISBN 978-1-7365415-4-


References


External links


Artist's Website

Interview by Jennifer SametInterview by Emily ColucciCity Maze, a film by Jane Dickson

The Mudd Club and “Beyond Words” by RJ RushmoreInterview by William CorwinLonely Planet ArticleTatler Best New Art Books
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, Jane 1952 births Living people 20th-century American painters Harvard University alumni American contemporary painters Artists from New York (state) 21st-century American painters Painters from Chicago