b. 1944, United States

Kim Jones Biography

Kim Jones is an American performance artist known for his intricate figurative drawings, painted-over documentary photographs, wearable sculptures, wall installations, and 'Mudman' performances.

Read More

Early Years

From 1964 to 1966 Jones went to the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. After serving as a marine, Jones then attended Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, during which time he was involved in much controversy for a performance piece which involved killing rats by setting them on fire. The artist explained in a later interview that this was a common pastime of American soldiers in Vietnam. According to the Los Angeles Times, he was arrested in 1976, and much despised by his colleagues. He later made sculptures with rubber rats entangled in mini-structures, such as Walking Rat (2014), introducing a self-reflexive autobiographical component.

Kim Jones Artworks

As an early 1970s performance artist doing endurance pieces that were initially overlooked, Kim Jones developed some of the extreme themes established by Chris Burden, Paul McCarthy, and the Viennese Actionists. Much of his material is autobiographical, especially works that reference his experiences as a crippled child with leg braces for Perthes disease, or his time as a soldier serving two tours in Vietnam.

In 1974 Jones began a series of 'Mudman' performances, which included Wilshire Walk (1976), an 18-mile, 12-hour walk between downtown L.A. and Santa Monica—done twice, by day and by night. For these performances, Jones would wear light bamboo and latex scaffolding-like structures, such as Mudman Structure (Large) (1974–2008) or smear his body with mud and occasionally his own faeces. He also made a series of chaotic, very bodily ink-and-acrylic drawings based on his time in Vietnam. These contained images of violence and vivid conflict, cities under siege, coloured viscera, and mutilated animals.

Jones is a prolific producer of drawings and wall sculpture. While his work seems to emphasise the inglorious, abject, and squalid—alluding to trauma—his performance activities are seen as having spiritual connotations by some critics. Art historian Marcia Tucker sees him 'a shamanistic figure, performing solitary, primitive rituals in a time and place not his own, but belonging to other cultures and other lands. He is a catalyst, suggesting mythological beings (half man, half beast), the stuff of legends and fairy tales ...'

Awards and Accolades

Jones has received many awards, including the Rockefeller Fellowship in 2009.

Collections

Jones' work is included in major collections across the world, including Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Indianapolis Museum of Art; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museum Boijmans Beuningen, Rotterdam; Museum of Old and New Art, Tasmania; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Santa Barbara Museum of Art; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

John Hurrell | Ocula | 2022

Kim Jones
featured artworks

View 20 More
Mop by Kim Jones contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
Kim Jones Mop, 2009 Wig, acrylic and ink
42 x 36 x 2.5 cm
Zeno X Gallery Request Price & Availability
Untitled by Kim Jones contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
Kim Jones Untitled, 2006 Acrylic and ink on paper
40 x 553 cm
Zeno X Gallery Request Price & Availability
Untitled (war drawing) by Kim Jones contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
Kim Jones Untitled (war drawing) Pencil on paper
63.2 x 96.4 cm
Zeno X Gallery Request Price & Availability
Untitled by Kim Jones contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
Kim Jones Untitled, 1984–2007 Acrylic and ink on photograph
40.6 x 60.6 cm
Zeno X Gallery Request Price & Availability
Untitled by Kim Jones contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
Kim Jones Untitled, 2005 Acrylic and ink on paper
59.7 x 83.8 cm
Zeno X Gallery Request Price & Availability
Untitled by Kim Jones contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
Kim Jones Untitled, 2001 – 2007 Acrylic and ink on photograph
45.7 x 30.5 cm
Zeno X Gallery Request Price & Availability
Untitled by Kim Jones contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
Kim Jones Untitled Acrylic and ink on paper
50.8 x 40.6 cm
Zeno X Gallery Request Price & Availability
Untitled by Kim Jones contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
Kim Jones Untitled, 1972–2005 Ink, acrylic on paper
57 x 72.3 cm
Zeno X Gallery Request Price & Availability
View 20 More

Kim Jones
recent exhibitions

View 3 More
View 3 More

Represented by this
Ocula Member Gallery

View 3 More
Learn more about the market for works
by Kim Jones.
Enquire for a confidential discussion. Enquire Now
Simon Fisher, Ocula CEO
Ocula Advisor
Simon Fisher
Christoper Taylor, Ocula Advisor
Ocula Advisor
Christopher Taylor
Eva Fuchs, Ocula Advisor
Ocula Advisor
Eva Fuchs
Rory Mitchell, Ocula Advisor
Ocula Advisor
Rory Mitchell
Ocula discover the best in contemporary art icon.
Follow Kim Jones
Stay ahead.
Receive updates on new artworks,
exhibitions and articles.
Your personal data is held in accordance with our privacy policy.
Follow
Do you have an Ocula account?
Ocula discover the best in contemporary art icon.
Get Access
Join Ocula to request price and availability of artworks, exhibition price lists and build a collection of favourite artists, galleries and artworks.
Do you have an Ocula account? Login
What best describes your interest in art?

Subscribe to our newsletter for upcoming exhibitions, available works, events and more.
By clicking Sign Up or Continue with Facebook or Google, you agree to Ocula's Terms & Conditions. Your personal data is held in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Thank you for joining us. Just one more thing...
Soon you will receive an email asking you to complete registration. If you do not receive it then you can check and edit the email address you entered.
Close
Thank you for joining us.
You can now request price and availability of artworks, exhibition price lists and build a collection of favourite artists, galleries and artworks.
Close
Welcome back to Ocula
Enter your email address and password below to login.
Reset Password
Enter your email address to receive a password reset link.
Reset Link Sent
We have sent you an email containing a link to reset your password. Simply click the link and enter your new password to complete this process.
Login