Bio
Born 1939, Cleveland, Ohio. Resides in New York since 1985. Education, BFA and MA in Painting from Kent State University.
- Solo Exhibitions
- Group Exhibitions
- Public Collections
- Bibliography
- Awards
- Work Experience
- Visiting Artist
- Curatorial Projects
- Corporate Collections
Selected Solo Exhibitions:
- 2021
- The Work of John L Moore, Obsessive Memory: Inaugural Exhibition, Maltz Performing Arts Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
- 2021
- Obsessive Memory Paintings & Drawings, June Kelly Gallery, New York, NY
- 2009
- The Jamaica Center for Arts, Jamaica, NY
- 2006
- New England School of Art & Design, Suffolk University, Boston, Mass
- 2002
- Howard Scott M-13 Gallery, New York, NY
- 2000
- Howard Scott M-13 Gallery, New York, NY
- 1998
- Howard Scott M-13 Gallery, New York, NY
- 1996
- Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL
- Howard Scott M-13 Gallery, New York, NY
- 1995
- Amalie A. Wallace Gallery, College of Old Westbury, S.U.N.Y., New York
- 1994
- Howard Scott M-13 Gallery, New York, NY
- 1992
- Howard Scott M-13 Gallery, New York, NY
- 1990
- Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, OH
- High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
- Indianapolis Center for Contemporary Art, IN
- Miami University Art Museum, OH
- 1989
- Lehman College Art Gallery, Bronx, NY
- Tomoko Liguori Gallery, New York, NY
- 1988
- Tomoko Liguori Gallery, New York, NY
- 1987
- The Art Association of Richmond, IN
- 1987
- Grand Street Gallery, New York
- 1983
- Spaces Gallery, Cleveland , OH
- 1983
- Canton Art Institute, Canton, OH
- 1983
- The Alternative Museum, New York, NY
- The Columbus Museum of Art, OH
Selected Group Exhibitions:
- 2022
- Currents and Constellations: Black Art in Focus, The Cleveland Museum of Art, OH
- 2021
- "Treasures of The New York Public Library" includes painting, Liberty and Justice, 1986. New York Public Library, New York, NY
- 2020
- Stories: BIPOC Artists from the Collection, Canton Museum of Art, Canton, Ohio
- 2019
- Pairs and Partners: Curatorial Conversations, Montgomery Museum of Fine Art, Montgomery, AL
- 2019
- A Fairly Secret Army (notes from New York), Wild Palms Gallery, Dusseldorf, Germany
- 2018
- The Proscenium, George Gallery, Bushwich, Brooklyn, NY
- 2017
- White Heat, Marc Straus Gallery, New York, NY
- 2017
- Building on the Legacy: African American Art from the Collection, The Muscarelle Museum of Art, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA
- 2016
- Abstract Expressions: Selected Works from the New Jersey State Museum, TCNJ Art Gallery, Ewing, NY. The exhibition features 34 artworks by American artists since 1950. Artists include, Andrea Belag, Mel Edwards, Sam Gilliam, Yayoi Kusama, John L. Moore, Louise Nevelson, others. Curated by Margaret O'Reilly, Curator of the Fine Art and Acting Director of the State Museum.
- Paint Heads, Jeffrey Leder Gallery, LIC, NY Curator, Charles Marburg, Long Island City, NY
- 2015
- Talismans, The Painting Center, New York, NY
- 2014
- In The Shadows: Contemporary Artists and Obsessive Memory, Richmond Center For Visual Arts, University of Western Michigan, Kalamazoo, MI
- Ink Art: Print Exhibition, CooHaus Art Gallery, New York, NY
- Sideshow Nation II: At The Alamo, Sideshow Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
- 2013
- Parameters-Landscapes from North America and Northern Korea, Gallery Ho, New York, NY
- Nation, Sideshow Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
- 2012
- Operating System, Sylvia Wald and Po Kim Art Gallery, New York, NY
- From Gesture to Form: Modern and Contemporary Prints from the Collection, Montgomery Museum of Fine Art, AL
- 2011
- American Chambers: Post 90's American Art, Gyeongnam Art Museum, Changwon, S. Korea
- It's All Good: Apocalypse Now, Sideshow Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
- Harmony: Maum Gallery, New York, NY
- Improbable Self:notes from the void, St Cecilia Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
- 2010
- From then to Now: African-American Master Works, MOCA Cleveland, OH
- Seeing Red, Crossing Art Gallery, Queens, NY
- The Last Book, Luis Cammitzer, Zentral Bibliothek, Zurich, Switzerland
- Cleveland Art Prize, recipients in the CMA collection, The Cleveland Museum of Art
- 2009
- Eye / World, Triple Candie Gallery, NY
- New Prints 2009/Spring, International Print Center, New York
- From Mao to Cows, Talalay Collection, MOMA Cleveland, OH
- Each in Their Own Voice: African-American Artists in Cleveland, Cleveland State University Art Gallery, OH
- 2008
- Kuf-Mold, Jan Colle Gallery, Gent Belgium
- Charismatic Abstraction, Moira Dryer, Mike Cloud, Chris Martin, John L. Moore and Dona Nelson, Richmond Center for Visual Arts, University of Western Michigan, Kalamazoo, MI
- Cent: Drawings, DeFrost Galerie, Paris France
- 2007
- Kuf-Mold, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey, organized by Suzan Batu and Bill Doherty
- Talking with my Friends, Y Gallery, Queens, NY
- 2006
- On The Wall: An Exhibition of Drawings Directly on the Gallery Walls, Cleveland State University Art Gallery, Cleveland, OH
- 2005
- Shadow Impressions, Reflections: John Moore, Karim Ghidinelli, Abezash Tamerat, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
- Drawn to Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, OH
- Beyond Narcissus, organized by Soko Phay-Vakalis, Dorsky Gallery, Long Island City, NY
- The Gift: Building a Collection for the Queens Museum of Art, Queens, NY
- Eviction Blues, Asian American Art Center, New York, NY
- 2004
- Four Artists, New York: Patrick Olson Gallery, Plymouth, MI
- In the Spirit of Martin: The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, AL
- Prints from the Collection: The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, AL
- 2003
- Twisting and Turning: An Exhibition of Contemporary Abstract Paintings, organized by Lilly Wei, Blue Star Art Space, San Antonio, TX
- 2002
- Queens International Exhibition, Queens Museum of Art, NY
- Paintings, Southern Vermont Art Center, Manchester, VT
- 2001
- Across The Pacific: Seoul Art Center, Seoul S. Korea also Daegu Art Center, S. Korea
- Six Artists'-Drawings, im n il Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
- 1999
- Selections From the Collection the Brooklyn Museum of Art, NY
- Unbottled: New York Water The Hammon Museum, North Salem, NY
- 1998
- Cleveland Collects Contemporary Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, OH
- Chaos and Distortion, Space Untitled Gallery, New York, NY
- Art by African Americans in the Collection of the New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, NJ
- 1997
- After the Fall: Aspects of Abstract Painting since 1970, Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, Staten Island, NY
- 1996-7
- Painting Abstract: Gregory Amenoff, John L. Moore, Katherine Porter, Boston University Art Museum, Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, IA
- 1996
- Old Glory: The American Flag in Contemporary Art, Phoenix Art Museum, AZ
- Aspects of Abstraction, New Jersey State Museum, NJ
- 1995
- America as Art: Two Centuries of Paintings, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL
- 1994
- Black, Haenah- Kent Gallery, NY, NY
- 1993
- The Return of the Cadaver Exquis, The Drawing Center, NY, NY Slow Art. Painting in New in New York, PS1, NY, NY
- 1993
- Dream Singers, Story Tellers: An African-American Presence, sponsored by the Fukui Fine Arts Museum of Fukui Prefecture. It traveled to Tokushima and the Osaka Fine Arts Museum, Japan and the New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, NJ
- 1991
- Artists of Conscience, Alternative Museum, NY, NY
- Contemporary Abstract Paintings: Muscarelle Museum, Williamsburg, VA
- 1990
- Aquarian Artists, Fine Arts Center Gallery, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI. Curator Willoughby Sharp presented 15 artist including Vito Acconci, Joseph Kosuth, Barnett Newman, Claes Oldenburg, Jackson Pollock, Lawrence Weiner, Sylvia Rascoon
- 1986
- Liberty And Justice, Alternative Museum, NYC
- 1984
- The May Show, Cleveland Museum of Art, (also 1980-1983), Cleveland, OH
- 1982
- Ohio Selections 1, New Gallery for Contemporary Art, Cleveland, OH
Selected Public Collections:
- Birmingham Museum of Arts, AL
- The Bronx Museum of the Arts, NY
- The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY
- The Canton Museum of Art, Canton, OH
- The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- The Cleveland Public Library, Cleveland, OH
- The Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH
- The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
- Jersey City Museum , Jersey City, NJ
- List Visual Arts Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
- Miami University Art Museum, Oxford, OH
- The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, AL
- The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, South Hadley, MA
- Muscarelle Museum of Art, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA
- New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, NJ
- The New York Public Library, New York, NY
- The Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library's Treasures, New York, NY
- The Queens Museum of Art, Queens, NY
- The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York, NY
- The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY
Selected Bibliography:
- 2016
- Phay - Vakalis, Soko, Les Vertiges Du Miroir Dans L'Art Contemporain, p. 22, 53, 54.
- Marburg, Charles, Paint Heads, group exhibition catalog
- Desmett, Don, In The Shadows: Contemporary Artists and Obsessive Memory, exhibition catalog
- 2009
- Heng-Gil Han, Network and Fluid, p. 90- 93,114, 115
- Desmett, Don, Charismatic Abstraction. Exhibition catalog, Richmond Center for Visual Arts, University of Western Michigan
- 2007
- Toby Lewis. ArtWorks: The Progressive Collection
- 2006
- Ausfeld, Margaret Lynne and Eldredge, Charles C., American Paintings from the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, AL
- Gibans, Nina Freedlander, Creative Essence, Cleveland's Sense of Place, OH
- Thurmer, Robert, and Mauersberger, George, On The Wall (exhibition catalogue) Cleveland State University Art Gallery, OH
- 2005
- Guiliano, Charles,“In the Studio with John L. Moore,” BIG RED & SHINY: An Online Arts Journal For Boston, August 19, 2005
- Drawn to Cleveland, (exhibition catalogue) Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art, OH
- Phay-Vakalis, Soko, Beyond Narcissus (exhibition catalogue), Dorsky Gallery, LI. City, NY
- 2003
- Wei, Lilly. Twisting and Turning (catalog), Blue Star Contemporary Art Space, San Antonio, TX
- 2002
- Johnson, Ken. Review Queens International, New York Times August 25, p. B32
- Smith, Valerie. Queens International (catalog) Queens Museum, Queens, NY, p.7
- 2001
- Ferrone, Julie. Intervista a John L. Moore, Art & Job Magazine, Italian Internet
- Korot, Joyce. John L. Moore at M-13, Review, NY Arts Magazine, p.89
- 1998
- Heartney, Eleanor and Lee Yongwoo. Chaos and Distortion Catalog. New York, NY: Space Untitled
- Hinson, Tom. Cleveland Collects Contemporary Art (Catalog), CMA, Cleveland, OH
- Johnson, Ken. Art Guide: Selective Listing, The New York Times, March 20 1998
- Weld, Alison. Art by African Americans in the Collection of the New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, NJ: The New Jersey State Museum, 1998, 88-89
- 1997
- Arthur, John. Painting Abstract, Mount Holyoke College Art Museum. Art New England, (Feb.- Mar): 43, 52
- Cotter, Holland. An Era Driven to Abstraction, The New York Times, April 11 1997
- Morgan, Robert C. Between Modernism and Conceptual Art, London: McFarland and Co., 136-138
- Taylor, Robert. Pushing the Bounds of Abstract Painting, Boston Globe, February 4 1997, E2
- Wei, Lilly. After the Fall: Aspects of Abstract Painting Since 1970, Vols. 1, 2, (Catalog). New York, NY: Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, Snug Harbor, Staten Island, 1997, 81, 141
- 1996
- Doezema, Marianne. Painting Abstract. Exhibition catalogue published by Mount Holyoke University. South Hadley, MA
- Kotik, Charlotta. Art Now . Essay for John Moore exhibition brochure, published by the Montgomery Museum of Art, Montgomery, AL
- 1995
- Harrison, Helen A. John Moore, Amelia A. Wallace Gallery. New York Times, 1 October 1995, C22, L.I.
- 1994
- McEvilly, Thomas. Dream Singers, Story Tellers. ArtForum. (March, 1994): 91
- 1993
- Raynor, Vivien. Bringing Out the Works of So-Called 'Outsiders'. The New York Times, 28 November 1993, NJ16
- 1992
- Cotter, Holland. John L. Moore, M-13 Gallery. New York Times, 27 May 1992, LC29
- Heartney, Eleanor. John L. Moore at M-13. Art in America, 80, no 6 (June): 108-09.
- Larson, Kay. The Painting Pyramid. New York Magazine, 25, no. 21, (May 25, 1992): 85
- 1989
- Brenson, Michael. John L. Moore. The New York Times, 24 November, 1989, C32.
- Berlind, Robert. John L. Moore at Tomoko Liguori Gallery. Art in America, (October): 212-13
- Slivka, Rose C.S. From the Studio. East Hampton Star, 26 October, 1989, 11
- Brenson, Michael. Black Artists: A Place in the Sun. The New York Times, 12 March. 1989, C1 ff
- 1988
- Zimmer, William. John L. Moore. Exhibition brochure. New York, NY: Tomoko Liguori Gallery
- Brenson, Michael. John L. Moore. The New York Times, 18 March 1988, C29
- 1987
- Brenson, Michael. John L. Moore. The New York Times, 13 March 1987, C30
- Brenson, Michael. Newspaper Art Criticism. Art Criticism, 4, no. 1, 16-17
- 1986
- Liberty and Justice. Exhibition catalogue. New York, NY: Group Material and the Alternative Museum, 12, 31
- Zimmer, William. Natural Disaster Show Offers Samples of Creative Upheaval. The New York Times
- Westfall, Stephen. John L. Moore. John L. Moore: New York. Exhibition catalogue, Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, 1989, 7-11
Awards:
- 2015
- Tree of Life Foundation, Individual Artist Grant
- 1999
- Tesque Foundation Individual Artist Award
- Joan Mitchell Fellowship, painting
- 1995
- The Cleveland Art Prize
- 1994
- New York Foundation Fellowship, painting
- 1989
- New York Foundation Fellowship, painting
- 1987
- National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, painting
- Ohio Arts Council, Fellowship, painting
Work Experience
- 2004
- School of Visual Arts, New York, NY, Adjunct Professor
- 1994-2004
- Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY, Senior Visiting Artist/ Professor
- 2000
- Pratt Institute, Adjunct Professor
- 1994
- Laguardia Community College, Adjunct Professor
- 1992, 1993
- Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI, Visiting Professor
- 1992
- University of Texas, Austin, TX, Visiting Professor
- 1991
- Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI, DVI, Visiting Professor
Parsons School of Design, New York, NY, Adjunct Professor - 1990
- Queens College, City University of New York, NY, Adjunct Professor
State University at Purchase, NY, Adjunct - 1986-87
- Studio Museum of Harlem, New York, NY, Guest Curator
- 1974-85
- Department of Education, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, Assistant Curator/Instructor
- 1973-74
- Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, OH, Instructor: Painting, Drawing, 3-D Design
- 1974-81
- Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, OH, Part-time Instructor, Painting and Drawing
Visiting Artist:
- Art Institute of Chicago
- The Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Columbus College of Art and Design, OH
- Duk-Sung Women's University, Seoul, South Korea
- Kent State University, Kent, OH, Blossom Program
- Massachusetts College of Arts, Boston, MA
- Parson School of Art and Design, New York, NY
- Pratt School of Design, New York, NY
- Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
- School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
- State University of NY at Purchase, NY
- University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
- University of Texas, Austin, TX
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
Curatorial Projects
- 2018
- DEMISE, Cleveland State University Art Galleries, OH. An exhibition of six contemporary artist's personal obsession on the subject of death inspired by three major paintings in the collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art. Picasso; La Vie, 1903, Albert P Ryder, The Race Track, 1896-1908 and Alsem Kiefer's, Lot's Wife, 1987
- 2012
- CHOSEN an exhibition at ArtGate Gallery, New York, NY.
I asked eight prominent artists to select one or two artists they felt should be better known. Kara Walker, Joan Jonas, Cai Guo-Qiang, Michael Joo were among the selecting artists. The 14 selected artists included Zachary Fabri, Jill Magid, Ali Kazim, Christine Rebet, Emily Henretta. - 2011
- 5C,5C. project: Five cities, Five curators, Paris, Rome, New York, Seoul S. Korea, Berlin. Exhibition traveled to KT&G Sangsangmadang Gallery, Seoul, Korea and CIAC (Centro Internazionale per I' Arte Contemporanea ) Rome, Italy.
- I conceived the exhibition idea and selected each city and the curators. The curators worked independently and as a team, secured two sites, raised the funds and produced the catalog.
- 2009
- Incheon Women Arts Biennale, S. Korea, curatorial advisory & support for Tuning Exhibition: the 21st century
- 2005
- Drawn to Cleveland, (co-organized with Ken Dingwall) Museum of Contemporary Art, Cleveland, OH
- 2003
- Thinking in Line. (co-organized with Ron Janowich) University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
- 2002
- Altered.: Installations by Three Artists. Art in General, New York, NY
- 1998
- Self-Taught Artists of the 20th century: An American Anthology, Museum of American Folk Art, New York, NY, tour itinerary to six museums included Philadelphia Museum of Art, High Museum. I contributed two essays: Bill Traylor (1856-1949) p. 58. 59, Nellie Mare Rowe (1900 -1982 ) p.140,141.
- 1989
- Contemporary Landscape: Five Views. The Waterworks Visual Arts Center, Salisbury, NC
- 1988
- New York City Works, by 21 Artists. Contemporary Art at One Penn Plaza, New York, NY
- 1987
- Bill Hutson: Paintings 1978-1987. Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY
- Emilio Cruz: Spilled Nightmares, Revelations, and Reflections. Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY
- 1986
- Ohio Selections VI. Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, Cleveland, OH
- 1985
- Sculpture for Public Places. Cleveland Museum of Art, OH, Co-curator James A. Birch
- New Color Abstraction. Sam Gilliam, Al Loving, William T. Williams, Cleveland State University Art Gallery, Cleveland, OH
- 1983
- Seven American Artists Barth, Harvard, Hutson, Kikuchi, Loving, Morgan, Saunders. Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- 1982
- Black American Cinema, 1913-1977, Part II. Survey of films by Independent black filmmakers in America, Cleveland Museum of Art
- 1981
- Black American Cinema, 1913-1977, Part I.
- Sculpture Outside in Cleveland. Exhibition of large-scale outdoor sculpture on Cleveland's lakefront. Originator of project and committee member. This project was awarded the First Annual Visual Arts Award by Cleveland's Northern Ohio Live Magazine, and was funded by the NEA, the Ohio Arts Council, the George Gund Foundation, and the Cleveland Foundation. Included Meadmore, Ginnever, Lutz, Tyrrell, Spofforth, Dubaniewicz, and others.
- 1980
- The Afro-American Tradition in the Decorative Arts, Phase II. An exhibition based on the original exhibition of the same name. Phase II consisted of 72 photographs and 8 art objects. Traveled to: Charleston Museum, SC; The Newark Museum, NJ; McKissick Museum, University of SC; The Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC
- Three Artists from Cleveland. Traveling exhibition: Rosemont College, Philadelphia, PA , Canton Art Institute, Canton, OH
- 1978
- The Cleveland Exchange. Exchange of Exhibitions between Cleveland, OH, and Toronto, Ontario. Initiated project, wrote grant, curated, and contributed to catalog essay. Arranged for exhibition Toronto Sensibility to travel to other cities in Ohio, and organized symposium in conjunction with show, which was held at Cleveland State University and the Harbourfront Gallery in Toronto
Corporate Collections
- BP America, OH
- Progressive Corporation, Cleveland, OH
- Benesch, Friedlander, Inc. Cleveland, OH
- RACO Development Company, Denver, CO
- Huntington Bank, Columbus, OH
- Cumberland Family Care Center, Brooklyn, NY- NYC Percent for Art Program
- Drug Emporium, Columbus, OH
- Cincinnati Bell Telephone, Cincinnati, OH
- Hahn Loeser - Parks, Cleveland, OH
- Jones, Day, Reavis and Pogue, Cleveland, OH
- Brand and Schick, Cleveland, OH
- Cardinal Federal Saving Bank, Cleveland, OH
- The George Gund Foundation, Cleveland, OH
- Kaiser-Permanente Medical Centers, CA