*"My narratives come from quiet, vulnerable moments" – James Jean*

In 2019, Jean brought his largest solo exhibition "Eternal Journey" to Seoul's Lotte Museum of Art. Divided into five sections according to the colours of Asian philosophy (red, blue, black, white, and yellow), the exhibition showcased over 500 artworks, including new pieces which were inspired by Seoul's modernity.

One notable piece was the 10 meter wide painting "Descendants -- Blue Wood." This piece was inspired by the Lotte World Tower and its resemblance to the fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk.

Jean’s works experiment with various styles, and weave various historical and geographical cues, delineating cosmological worlds that focus on both individual and universal experiences.

DESCENDENTS
Acrylic on Four Canvases, 432 x 132”, 2019

Fusing inspiration from the archaic, the rare, the unconscious… Jean's exquisite notions of time and place bring us into a mesmerizing fantasticism.

Early Beginnings

One of the top notabe, young contemporary artists today, Taiwanese-American James Jean graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from New York’s School of Visual Arts in 2001.

Beginning his career as a cover artist for American comic book publisher, DC Comics, he garnered seven Eisner awards, three consecutive Harvey awards, two gold medals and a silver from the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, and a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators of New York.

He built his portfolio in advertising and commercial work, contributing to many national and international publications, including Time Magazine, The New York Times, and Rolling Stone. In 2006, he was awarded Best Artist from the World Fantasy Awards.

In 2008, Jean retired from illustration and commercial projects to focus on painting. He began to gain notoriety from his powerful and thought provoking paintings with his own distinctive style of combining traditional painting techniques, including Chinese scroll paintings, Japanese woodblock prints, and Renaissance portraiture.

Illustration for Target advertisement in The New York Times (2005) /
Rolling Stone Illustration Original Art (2007)

His work also infiltrates both fine art and popular culture through notable collaborations with worldwide prolific brands like Prada and Apple, and with directors like Guillermo del Toro for “The Shape of Water”.

Prada x James Jean for Resort 2018: The “Bunny Collection”

Jean’s large-scale works look back on complex Hieronymus Bosch paintings and sublime Tang Dynasty landscapes. Incorporating imagery drawn from both modern culture and age-old allegories, he imagines a collective realm of mythological proportions. His smaller pieces feature single figures occupied in daily tasks, and are focused on specific narratives and emotions.