Jonathan Meese

Meese studied at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg, where he developed his artistic position in dialogue with a remarkable circle of artists and cultural figures, including Franz Erhard Walther, Daniel Richter, Martin Kippenberger, Horst Janssen, Vicco von Bülow (Loriot), and Otto Waalkes. This period proved formative, fostering his openness to experimentation and his critical distance from established artistic conventions.

Following the traditions of Dada and Fluxus, as well as German Neo-Expressionism of the 1980s, Meese consistently addresses themes of power, desire, and identity. His work is characterized by stylistic boldness, visual excess, and deliberate flamboyance. The seemingly careless, garish quality of his technique conceals a conscious artistic strategy shaped by the posture of an enfant terrible and by a rejection of conventional ideas of refinement.

Disregarding traditional hierarchies of technique, Meese works freely with acrylic paint, crayons, graphite, ink, and watercolor, often applying materials directly from the tube. This unrestricted handling of media emphasizes the immediacy of his process and reinforces the performative dimension of his practice.

Collage plays an important role in his work. Meese frequently incorporates found objects, personal photographs, images of political figures, and self-portraits, combining them with graffiti-like inscriptions and manifesto-style texts. These often take the form of invented German-English neologisms that resist direct translation. Through this dense layering of image and language, he develops a visual system that challenges conventional modes of reading and interpretation.

At the core of Meese’s artistic vision lies a highly developed personal mythology, formed through the fusion of historical, legendary, and science-fiction references. Within this symbolic universe, he summons recurring figures and heroes, constructing narrative structures in which reality and imagination become inseparable.

Works by Jonathan Meese are held in major museum and institutional collections, including:

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, USA
Tate, London, United Kingdom
Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany
Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany
Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany

Hunky Dory

2007