Jonathan Meese’s work includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, and performances but also extends to writing, stage design, and directing within the field of theater and opera. His practice addresses certain uneasy aspects of German political history and seeks to adopt ideological symbols and empty them of meaning. The subjects of his work have included Richard Wagner’s three act opera “Parsifal”, and more recently, the American actor, John Wayne.
Jonathan Meese (b. 1970, Tokyo, Japan) has been the subject of solo museum exhibitions including Meese’s Odyssey at the Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany; MALERMEESE - MEESERMALER at Museum der Moderne Salzburg, Austria; Jonathan Meese: Sculpture at the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, FL; Mama Johnny at Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Germany; Képi blanc, nackt at Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, Germany; and Revolution at Kestner-Gesellschaft, Hanover, Germany.
Meese’s work is featured in several private and public collections internationally, including Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Hall Art Foundation, New York; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark; Musées de la Ville de Strasbourg, France; Rubell Family Collection, Miami; De La Cruz Collection, Miami; and Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst (S.M.A.K.), Ghent. Meese lives and works in Berlin and Hamburg.