Ryan Mendoza (born October 29, 1971, 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 ...

) is an American painter. He works and lives between

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. In his paintings, he counterbalances old master techniques with contemporary themes. In 2012, Ryan and his then 8-month-pregnant wife Fabia were briefly arrested in Naples after an art performance in solidarity with the Russian punk-rock band

Pussy Riot Pussy Riot is a Feminism in Russia, Russian feminist protest and performance art group based in Moscow that became popular for its provocative punk rock music which later turned into a more accessible style. Founded in the fall of 2011 by the th ...

in front of their studio in Rione Sanità. His intimate diary ''Everything is Mine'' (''Tutto è mio''), curated by Simona Vinci, was released by the Italian publisher

Bompiani Bompiani is an Italian publishing house based in Milan. It was founded in 1929 by Valentino Bompiani. In 1990, Bompiani became part of the RCS MediaGroup. It was sold in 2015 to the Giunti Group. It is widely regarded as one of the leading liter ...

in 2015. In 2016, Mendoza was ranked number 147 of the 500 most successful US artists born after 1966 by

Artnet Artnet.com is an art market website. It is operated by Artnet Worldwide Corporation, which has headquarters in New York City. It is owned by Artnet AG, a German publicly-traded company based in Berlin that is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Ex ...

The White House

In 2016, he brought an entire house from

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

to Europe. It was first on display at Art Rotterdam 2016. ''The White House'' is on permanent exhibition at the Verbeke Foundation, Belgium. With ''The White House'', Mendoza wandered into a politically charged debate. He was initially only looking for a way of reconnecting with his identity as an American after living abroad for 24 years. However, ''The White House'' was described as a window into the Detroit's property problems. The remnants of ''The White House'' project at 8 Mile and Livernois in Detroit were demolished in March 2016. Mendoza covered the costs of the demolition. A documentary on the project entitled ''The White House'' was directed by Fabia Mendoza.

The Invitation

In June 2016, Mendoza painted two abandoned houses in Brightmoor, Detroit, for his installation ''The Invitation''. Bullet-sized holes in the house façades spelled out the names Trump and Clinton. Mendoza officially invited the presidential candidates

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

and

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

to sleep a night in his installation, at what he called "the real White House," located in Detroit's troubled Brightmoor neighborhood. The presidential candidates both declined his invitation. Resident John O'Malley, a 60-year-old nurse battling cancer, was living between the two abandoned structures. He and urban activist Jonathan Pommerville reached out to Mendoza to help make his difficult situation public. Brightmoor renaissance

Rosa Parks' House

Summer 2016, Rosa Parks' niece Rhea McCauley donated the former house where her aunt

Rosa Parks Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American civil rights activist. She is best known for her refusal to move from her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, in defiance of Jim Crow laws, which sparke ...

lived from 1957 to 1959 in Detroit to Ryan Mendoza to help preserve the home of the American civil rights movement icon. "All of my work deals with things and people who have been forgotten on some level," Mendoza stated to

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

in November 2016. Rhea McCauley paid $500 to pull the house off the city's demolition list. Ryan Mendoza dismantled the house in 18 days with a group of friends, volunteers, musicians and those who made their tribute to Rosa Parks before the final demolition and shipped it to Europe where he rebuilt it in Berlin. McCauley communicated to the press that as long as her aunt's legacy is not acknowledged in the US, she will bring the house to a place where it is acknowledged. "I know she has streets named after her and medals and awards, but I'm talking about truly understanding the significance of Auntie Rosa," said McCauley. "And I have talked to young people and they don't even know who my aunt is. And that's a shame. It's not their fault, but we as a country need to acknowledge, and if we can't, you know, I'll take her where she is acknowledged." Both Mendoza and McCauley hoped that the house could eventually return one day to its rightful home, the US. In October 2017, it was reported that the house would be shipped to and displayed in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

was planning to exhibit the house, but the display was cancelled. The house was exhibited during part of 2018 in an arts centre Providence, Rhode Island.

Other projects

Spring 2017, Mendoza painted the facade of a house in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

in the colors of the American flag. This street art project was followed by a series of about 50 photographs titled ''Putin, my Putin'' and shown by Berlin-based gallery Camera Work. American director and activist Rose McGowan was one of the models for the photographs.

Selected Exhibits

2013: ''Les Aventures de la Vérité '' Peinture et Philosophie, Fondation Maeght, curated by

Bernard-Henri Lévy Bernard-Henri Georges Lévy (; ; born 5 November 1948) is a French public intellectual. Often referred to in France simply as BHL, he was one of the leaders of the " Nouveaux Philosophes" (New Philosophers) movement in 1976. His opinions, politi ...

2013: ''Ryan Mendoza, Roger Ballen, Paul P.'', Gallerie Massimo Minini, Brescia 2011: ''Ryan Mendoza'' Selected works, Galerie Klueser2, Munich, Germany 2010: ''The Possessed'' Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Donna Regina, Naplel 2009: ''Chocolate Crocodile'' Galerie Lelong, Paris 2008: ''Ryan Mendoza'' Akira Ikeda Gallery, New York 2007: ''Don't look at me'' Galerie Lelong, Paris 2006: ''Happily ever'' Akira Ikeda Gallery, Berlin 2005: ''Ryan Mendoza'' Galerie Bernd Klueser, Munich 2004: ''Fear in a Time of Superheroes'', Galleria Massimo Minini 2003: ''Sleeping Beauty'' Akira Ikeda Gallery, Taura, Japan 2002: ''Join Now for Instant Access''

White Cube White Cube is a contemporary art gallery founded by Jay Jopling in London in 1993. The gallery has two branches in London: White Cube Mason's Yard in central London and White Cube Bermondsey in South East London; White Cube Hong Kong, in Centra ...

, London 2002: ''Almost American'', Museo di Castel Nuovo, Naples 2001: ''Ryan Mendoza'', Overbeck Gesellschaft, Luebeck 2000: ''Ryan Mendoza'' Museo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto 1997: "Cadaver dog", Galleria studio legale, Caserta, Italy

Literature

2016: Ryan Mendoza ''Welcome to America'', Van Spijk Rekafa, 2015: Ryan Mendoza ''Tutto è mio,''
Bompiani
2010: Ryan Mendoza ''The Possessed'', Electa, MAdRE, Text by Tiziano Scarpa, (2007): Ryan Mendoza ''The End'', Text by

Milan Kundera Milan Kundera ( ; ; 1 April 1929 – 11 July 2023) was a Czech and French novelist. Kundera went into exile in France in 1975, acquiring citizenship in 1981. His Czechoslovak citizenship was revoked in 1979, but he was granted Czech citizenship ...

, (2007): Ryan Mendoza ''Don't look at me'', Galerie Lelong 2003: Ryan Mendoza ''Sleeping Beauty'', Taura, Japan 2002: Ryan Mendoza ''Almost American, Museo Castel Nuovo'' 2002: Ryan Mendoza ''Join Now for Instant Access'', Text by

Irvine Welsh Irvine Welsh (born 27 September 1958) is a Scottish novelist and short story writer. His 1993 novel ''Trainspotting (novel), Trainspotting'' was made into a Trainspotting (film), film of the same name. He has also written plays and screenplays, ...

1998: Ryan Mendoza, Text by Alberto Fiz

References

External links

"Documentary about Ryan Mendoza"
The White House documentary by Fabia Mendoza, 67min, 2017
"Ryan Mendoza"
Ryan Mendoza Website
"Top 500 american artists since 1966"
Artnet
''Join Now for Instant Access'', White Cube
Ryan Mendoza Artnet

La Repubblica

Bompiani, `Tutto è mio` Ryan Mendoza {{DEFAULTSORT:Mendoza, Ryan 1971 births Living people 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters 21st-century American male artists Artists from New York (state) American emigrants to Italy American expatriates in Italy 20th-century American male artists