Regen Projects is pleased to present Less and more, a career-spanning exhibition of works by Jack Pierson. This marks the artist’s tenth solo presentation at the gallery.
Over the course of more than three decades Pierson has wryly and poetically explored themes of memory, desire, longing, beauty, despair, loss, and glamour. Although Pierson emerged as the youngest member of the so-called Boston School, which included fellow photographers David Armstrong, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Nan Goldin, and Mark Morrisroe, his practice quickly expanded beyond photography into drawing, painting, collage, installation, and text-based sculpture. Pierson is known for his ability to subtly coax the poetic from the everyday—manifesting romantic affect, longing, and desire through seemingly banal objects, rough sketches, and charged turns of phrase.
Installation view of Jack Pierson: Less and more
Regen Projects, Los Angeles
September 11 – October 23, 2021
“The deep content of Jack Pierson’s art is
the vulnerability of life devoured by time.”
—Roberta Smith, The New York Times, 2021
Installation view of Jack Pierson: Less and more
Regen Projects, Los Angeles
September 11 – October 23, 2021
Jack Pierson
Mythology of the Self
2020
Digital print on archival paper
52 1/2 x 61 3/4 inches
Less and more is arranged as a poetic, achronological, and comprehensive installation that tracks Pierson’s diverse yet idiosyncratic practice, creating a sojourn through his career. Pierson has undoubtedly mined his own queerness, and specifically queer desire, through both a historical and personal lens, tying these threads together through found images plucked from the media, snapshot photography, portraits, and collage.
Early sculptures and installations recalling and even reconstructing slices of the domestic are brought together for the exhibition to showcase Pierson’s ability to imbue objects with the tenderness we often associate with the intimate space of the home. His practice has been equally invested in explorations of materiality, the formal qualities of line, shape, and color, and the possibilities inherent in abstraction. As such, this exhibition showcases a wide selection of drawings, paintings, watercolors, and collages that provide evidence of Pierson’s long-standing commitment to these mediums and modes of expression.
Installation view of Jack Pierson: Less and more
Regen Projects, Los Angeles
September 11 – October 23, 2021
Installation view of Jack Pierson: Less and more
Regen Projects, Los Angeles
September 11 – October 23, 2021
In addition to bringing together work produced during the length of Pierson’s career, Less and more also presents a selection of new works. The exhibition includes large-format photographs that transform earlier works into historical documents, text-based sculptures, and collaged works on metal supports that can be rearranged and reconfigured upon each showing to account for new material collected by the artist.
Installation view of Jack Pierson: Less and more
Regen Projects, Los Angeles
September 11 – October 23, 2021
"When I was in my twenties, living between
New York, Miami Beach, and Boston, I wouldn’t
pay for art materials. Everything I used had to be
scavenged or found, which kept the process of
artmaking simple. I had parameters; it led me to
that sort of aesthetic that I work from now."
—Jack Pierson in Artforum, 2015
Installation view of Jack Pierson: Less and more
Regen Projects, Los Angeles
September 11 – October 23, 2021
Installation view of Jack Pierson: Less and more
Regen Projects, Los Angeles
September 11 – October 23, 2021
“Pierson is all idiosyncratic remainder: the stray lyric, the fleeting atmosphere, an ineffable memory. He is the person who consumes an esoteric volume of New Age mumbo jumbo, reads and rereads a dog-eared copy of Joan Didion’s Play It as It Lays, listens to a worn Dusty Springfield record (not a CD). These are the sentimental, affect-laden moments that converge to make the man."
—Jack Bankowsky, Artforum, 1991
Installation view of Jack Pierson: Less and more
Regen Projects, Los Angeles
September 11 – October 23, 2021
Installation view of Jack Pierson: Less and more
Regen Projects, Los Angeles
September 11 – October 23, 2021
Jack Pierson
IN CIRCLES
2014
Acrylic and steel
100 x 100 inches
“There is an incremental redemptive quality about
[Pierson's] art. He rescues memories and materials
from the junk heap-but he also seems like a man
with a past, like he’s making up for wasted time.”
—Jerry Saltz, Arts Magazine, 1991
Installation view of Jack Pierson: Less and more
Regen Projects, Los Angeles
September 11 – October 23, 2021
Installation view of Jack Pierson: Less and more
Regen Projects, Los Angeles
September 11 – October 23, 2021
Jack Pierson
Tangier in the 1960s
2021
Metal, wood, plastic
49 1/2 x 62 1/2 x 3 inches
“A dominant thread throughout [Pierson's] work has long been a search for glamour in the shadows—for a savage beauty found all of a sudden, for the transcendence that lurks in the blurry, the offhand, the raw.”
—Timothy Francis Barry, The Brooklyn Rail, 2017
Installation view of Jack Pierson: Less and more
Regen Projects, Los Angeles
September 11 – October 23, 2021
"What makes Pierson worthy of attention
is that he has transcended his signature
by delving into it so completely.”
—Jack Bankowsky, Artforum, 1991
Jack Pierson
Lone Wolf
2020
Metal, wood
37 x 45 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches
Installation view of Jack Pierson: Less and more
Regen Projects, Los Angeles
September 11 – October 23, 2021
Installation view of Jack Pierson: Less and more
Regen Projects, Los Angeles
September 11 – October 23, 2021
Installation view of Jack Pierson: Less and more
Regen Projects, Los Angeles
September 11 – October 23, 2021
Jack Pierson
Genius Madman Animal God
2020
Card stock, enamel, glitter, masonite, metal and wood
78 1/2 x 77 1/2 x 5 1/4 inches (199.4 x 196.9 x 13.3 cm)
$200,000
Jack Pierson
What You Think With You and What You Leave Behind
1995
Painted wood platform, chair, shirt, coffee cup, and cigarette butts
32 x 48 x 48 inches (81.3 x 121.9 x 121.9 cm)
$125,000
Jack Pierson
Mythology of the Self
2020
Digital print on archival paper
Framed Dimensions:
54 1/4 x 63 3/8 x 2 inches (137.8 x 161 x 5.1 cm)
Image Dimensions:
52 1/2 x 61 3/4 inches (133.4 x 156.8 cm)
Edition of 3, 2 AP
$50,000
Jack Pierson
Ode
2021
Banker pins, Cardboard, foam rubber, spray paint, and styrofoam
98 x 52 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches (248.9 x 133.4 x 6.4 cm)
$45,000
Jack Pierson
Blue Spot #1
1994
Watercolor on paper
Framed Dimensions:
28 1/8 x 22 x 2 inches (71.4 x 55.9 x 5.1 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
26 x 20 inches (66 x 50.8 cm)
$15,000
Jack Pierson
Blue Spot #2
1994
Watercolor on paper
Framed Dimensions:
28 1/8 x 22 x 2 inches (71.4 x 55.9 x 5.1 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
26 x 20 inches (66 x 50.8 cm)
$15,000
Jack Pierson
Blue Spot #3
1994
Watercolor on paper
Framed Dimensions:
28 1/8 x 22 x 2 inches (71.4 x 55.9 x 5.1 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
26 x 20 inches (66 x 50.8 cm)
$15,000
Jack Pierson
Blue Spot #4
1994
Watercolor on paper
Framed Dimensions:
28 1/8 x 22 x 2 inches (71.4 x 55.9 x 5.1 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
26 x 20 inches (66 x 50.8 cm)
$15,000
Jack Pierson
Blue Spot #5
1994
Watercolor on paper
Framed Dimensions:
28 1/8 x 22 x 2 inches (71.4 x 55.9 x 5.1 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
26 x 20 inches (66 x 50.8 cm)
$15,000
Jack Pierson
Truro
2020
Digital print on archival paper
Framed Dimensions:
63 3/8 x 84 1/8 x 2 inches (161 x 213.7 x 5.1 cm)
Image Dimensions:
62 x 82 5/8 inches (157.5 x 209.9 cm)
Edition of 3, 2 AP
$50,000
Jack Pierson
Miami Seascape
1989
Acrylic on cardboard
Framed Dimensions:
11 3/4 x 8 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (29.8 x 21 x 3.8 cm)
Artwork Dimensions:
10 x 7 1/2 inches (25.4 x 19.1 cm)
$10,000
Jack Pierson
Cloud
2021
Banker pins, plastic, and styrofoam
100 x 39 1/4 x 2 1/2 inches (254 x 99.7 x 6.4 cm)
$35,000
Jack Pierson
The Sweet By By, 12, July 1992
1992
Watercolor and graphite on paper
Framed Dimensions:
15 x 12 x 1 1/4 inches (38.1 x 30.5 x 3.2 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
14 x 11 inches (35.6 x 27.9 cm)
$10,000
Jack Pierson
In Times Square
2020
Digital print on archival paper
Framed Dimensions:
63 3/8 x 52 1/4 x 2 inches (161 x 132.7 x 5.1 cm)
Image Dimensions:
62 x 51 inches (157.5 x 129.5 cm)
Edition of 3, 2 AP
$50,000
Jack Pierson
Abstract #2
2007
Plastic, metal, and wood
145 x 80 x 3 inches (368.3 x 203.2 x 7.6 cm)
$200,000
Jack Pierson
Diamond Life
1990
Table, chair, record player, record albums, books, ashtray, coffee cup, miscellaneous, linoleum flooring, and painted wall
96 x 60 x 48 inches (243.8 x 152.4 x 121.9 cm)
Jack Pierson
Truro Too
2021
Archival pigment print, banker pins, and foam rubber
88 x 69 x 2 1/2 inches (223.5 x 175.3 x 6.4 cm)
$35,000
Jack Pierson
No Bones
2018
Metal, enamel, plastic
50 x 60 x 5 1/4 inches (127 x 152.4 x 13.3 cm)
$175,000
Jack Pierson
As Beautiful and Romantic As It Was People's Lives Were Ruined There
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
Love This
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
Darling Darling Darling
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
He Wants it All and So Do I and So Does Everybody Else
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
Heaven Help Me
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
You Would Know Better Than I My Dear
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
Illusions Being Shattered
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
Requested
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
She Thinks Her Life is a Show
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
Love This
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
You Would.
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
Are You in Puglia?
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
Love This
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
Well What The Hell Did You Think We Were Going To Do?
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
She's A Dick
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
What Next?
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
It's Now or Never
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
Famous Last Words
2020
Krink marker on paper
Framed Dimensions:
25 1/4 x 20 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (64.1 x 51.4 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
24 x 19 inches (61 x 48.3 cm)
$6,000
Jack Pierson
2 Weeks in the Desert
2021
Wrapping paper
90 x 78 1/2 inches (228.6 x 199.4 cm)
$45,000
Jack Pierson
Mint Secession
2021
Bubble wrap, Gaffer tape, Masking tape
64 x 50 1/2 inches (162.6 x 128.3 cm)
$35,000
Jack Pierson
Color fabrics
2021
Folded pigment print
60 x 80 inches (152.4 x 203.2 cm)
$50,000
Jack Pierson
Wall installation
2021
C-prints, digital prints, posters, paper clips
120 x 204 inches (304.8 x 518.2 cm)
Jack Pierson
Tangir in the 1960s
2021
Metal, wood, plastic
49 1/2 x 62 1/2 x 3 inches (125.7 x 158.8 x 7.6 cm)
$175,000
Jack Pierson
Ginger Ganesha
2021
Banker pins, cardboard, cloth, and paper
92 x 59 1/2 x 2 inches (233.7 x 151.1 x 5.1 cm)
$35,000
Jack Pierson
Mick and Bianca at Their Wedding in St. Tropes, 1971
1994
Gouache on paper
Framed Dimensions:
24 7/8 x 18 x 2 inches (63.2 x 45.7 x 5.1 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
21 1/2 x 14 inches (54.6 x 35.6 cm)
$12,000
Jack Pierson
Thrive
2009
Metal and plastic
74 x 39 x 4 inches (188 x 99.1 x 10.2 cm)
$175,000
Jack Pierson
Color Exercise #1
1994
Gouache on paper
Framed Dimensions:
28 1/8 x 22 x 2 inches (71.4 x 55.9 x 5.1 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
26 x 20 inches (66 x 50.8 cm)
$15,000
Jack Pierson
Color Exercise #2
1994
Gouache on paper
Framed Dimensions:
28 1/8 x 22 x 2 inches (71.4 x 55.9 x 5.1 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
26 x 20 inches (66 x 50.8 cm)
$15,000
Jack Pierson
Color Exercise #3
1994
Gouache on paper
Framed Dimensions:
28 1/8 x 22 x 2 inches (71.4 x 55.9 x 5.1 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
26 x 20 inches (66 x 50.8 cm)
$15,000
Jack Pierson
Lone Wolf
2020
Metal, wood
37 x 45 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches (94 x 115.6 x 3.2 cm)
$125,000
Jack Pierson
Come Back, Ca.
1991
Graphite on paper
Framed Dimensions:
15 x 12 x 1 1/4 inches (38.1 x 30.5 x 3.2 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
11 x 14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
$10,000
Jack Pierson
The Righteous Brothers, Kenny Morrill, Frank Marina
1991
Newsprint on paper
Framed Dimensions:
15 x 12 x 1 1/4 inches (38.1 x 30.5 x 3.2 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
11 x 14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
$10,000
Jack Pierson
Hooray For Hollywood
1992
Graphite on paper
Framed Dimensions:
15 x 12 x 1 1/4 inches (38.1 x 30.5 x 3.2 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
11 x 14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
$10,000
Jack Pierson
Shut Up Shut Up You're Just a Fucking Photograph Now
1993
Graphite on paper
Framed Dimensions:
15 x 12 x 1 1/4 inches (38.1 x 30.5 x 3.2 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
11 x 14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
$10,000
Jack Pierson
Careless, 1992 July 10, NY
1992
Graphite on paper
Framed Dimensions:
15 x 12 x 1 1/4 inches (38.1 x 30.5 x 3.2 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
11 x 14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
$10,000
Jack Pierson
Beefcake
1995
Photographic collage with tape
60 x 72 inches (152.4 x 182.9 cm)
$200,000
Jack Pierson
Mastery Exercise
1992
Graphite on paper
Framed Dimensions:
31 x 23 x 1 1/4 inches (78.7 x 58.4 x 3.2 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
30 x 22 inches (76.2 x 55.9 cm)
$30,000
Jack Pierson
Self Portrait (James Dean)
1993
Magazine pages mounted on canvas
Framed Dimensions:
72 1/2 x 50 x 3 1/4 inches (184.2 x 127 x 8.3 cm)
Image Dimensions:
66 1/2 x 44 inches (168.9 x 111.8 cm)
$200,000
Jack Pierson
Lone Wolf
1985
Assemblage, wood, paint, a magazine photograph, tape, rubber cement, blood
Framed Dimensions:
20 3/8 x 9 x 2 inches (51.8 x 22.9 x 5.1 cm)
Artwork Dimensions:
19 1/4 x 8 3/4 inches (48.9 x 22.2 cm)
$35,000
Jack Pierson
Desert Drawing #4
2011
Graphite on paper
Framed Dimensions:
24 7/8 x 31 7/8 x 1 1/2 inches (63.2 x 81 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
23 x 30 inches (58.4 x 76.2 cm)
$12,000
Jack Pierson
Desert Drawing #2
2011
Graphite on paper
Framed Dimensions:
24 7/8 x 31 7/8 x 1 1/2 inches (63.2 x 81 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
23 x 30 inches (58.4 x 76.2 cm)
$12,000
Jack Pierson
Desert Drawing #3
2011
Graphite on paper
Framed Dimensions:
24 7/8 x 31 7/8 x 1 1/2 inches (63.2 x 81 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
23 x 30 inches (58.4 x 76.2 cm)
$12,000
Jack Pierson
Desert Drawing #5
2011
Graphite on paper
Framed Dimensions:
24 7/8 x 31 7/8 x 1 1/2 inches (63.2 x 81 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
23 x 30 inches (58.4 x 76.2 cm)
$12,000
Jack Pierson
Desert Drawing #6
2011
Graphite on paper
Framed Dimensions:
24 7/8 x 31 7/8 x 1 1/2 inches (63.2 x 81 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
23 x 30 inches (58.4 x 76.2 cm)
$12,000
Jack Pierson
Desert Drawing #1
2011
Graphite on paper
Framed Dimensions:
24 7/8 x 31 7/8 x 1 1/2 inches (63.2 x 81 x 3.8 cm)
Paper Dimensions:
23 x 30 inches (58.4 x 76.2 cm)
$12,000
Jack Pierson
Nein, das ist nicht der geschundene Christus
2021
Digital print on archival paper
Framed Dimensions:
63 3/8 x 48 3/8 x 2 inches (161 x 122.9 x 5.1 cm)
Image Dimensions:
62 x 47 inches (157.5 x 119.4 cm)
Edition of 3, 2 AP
$50,000
Jack Pierson
PUREST RAY SERENE
2009
Metal, plastic and glass
48 x 150 x 10 inches (121.9 x 381 x 25.4 cm)
$175,000
Jack Pierson, Badlands, 1990
Jack Pierson (b. 1960, Plymouth, MA) earned a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art in 1984.
Pierson’s work has been featured in solo exhibitions nationally and internationally including 5 Shows from the ‘90s, Aspen Art Museum (2017); OMG, Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT (2015); Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga (2009); Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin (2008); Regrets, Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami (2002); and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (1995); among others. Next spring, he will participate in High Desert Test Sites 2022: The Guests of Hotel Palenque.
Work by the artist is held in prominent museum collections including The Baltimore Museum of Art; Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Seattle Art Museum; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, among others.
Pierson has been a prolific creator of artist books and zines throughout his career, with notable examples of these publications including the celebrated Tomorrow’s Man series, now in its fifth edition (Bywater Bros. Editions, 2020); JACK PIERSON + BABY ROBERTS (EY! BOY COLLECTION, 2020); Stardust (Salon Verlag, 2012); Sing a Song of Sixpence (Salon Verlag, 1997); All of a Sudden (Powerhouse, 1995); and Angel Youth (Galerie Aurel Scheibler, 1992).
Several of his early artist books were compiled and reprinted in a 2008 monograph, Angel Youth (Charta, 2008), titled after his 1992 artist book. Other monographs of his work include The Hungry Years (Damiani, 2017); Desire/Despair (Rizzoli, 2006); Every Single One of Them (Twin Palms, 2004); The Lonely Life (Ursula Blickle, 1997); and All of a Sudden (Powerhouse, 1995); among others.
He lives and works in New York and Wonder Valley, CA.
