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Born in Atlanta in 1954, Jones received a Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of West Georgia. His work is in many museum collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Indianapolis Museum of Art; Atlanta’s High Museum of Art; the J.B. Speed Museum in Louisville; the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta, Georgia; the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans; and the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia.

Jones received a 1994 fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Southern Arts Federation. In 2003, he was awarded a grant from the prestigious Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation in New York and is the only artist in Georgia since 1979 to receive the honor.  In 2006, Jones made his international debut at Art London.  He was a featured artist in Drawing a Diversion at London’s John Martin Gallery in 2007.

Education

1977 B.F.A State University of West Georgia

Select Solo Exhibitions

2021
Drawings and Sculpture, 1994-2021, Laney Contemporary, Savannah, GA
Benjamin Jones, Thompson Hotel, Savannah, GA
2019
Salt Island, whitespace gallery, Atlanta, GA
Benjamin Jones Speaking, Retrospective, MOCA GA, Atlanta, GA
2015
Observations, Stewart Gallery, Boise, Idaho
2008
Sins + Virtues, Barbara Archer Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
Drawing a Diversion, John Martin Gallery, London, England
2006
Benjamin Jones @ Art London, Royal Hospital Chelsea, London, England
Benjamin Jones, Barbara Archer Savannah, Savannah, Georgia
2005
The Alexander Homage Drawing Series, Barbara Archer Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
2004
Benjamin Jones Drawing, Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Drawing, 1708 Gallery, Richmond, Virginia
Isolation, Barbara Archer Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
Figure, Gray Matters Gallery, Dallas, Texas
2002
Works on Paper, 1987-2002, Barbara Archer Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
1998
A Short Life, Sandler Hudson, Atlanta, Georgia
1994
Dr. Frankenstein’s Animal Show, Mattress Factory Building, Atlanta, Georgia
1993
Nature’s Oddity, Billboard, Arts Festival of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia

Group Exhibitions

2021
Before, Behind, Below, Beneath, Beside, Between, Beyond, By, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, North Terminal T Gates, Atlanta, GA
The Exquisite Corpse, The Art Section, Atlanta, GA
Art and Healing in the Time of the Pandemic, The Art Section, Atlanta, GA
2018
The Artists Exhibition, Laney Contemporary, Savannah, Georgia
2017
Work on Paper, Stewart Gallery, Boise, Idaho
2016
Line, Stewart Gallery, Boise, Idaho
Art on Paper, New York, New York
2015
The Drawing Experiment, Chastain Arts Center Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
2013
Drawing Inside the Perimeter, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia
4 X 4, Barbara Archer Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
2009
Benjamin Jones @ Art La, Stewart Gallery, Los Angeles, California
2008
Master Drawings London, London, England
2006
OBJECTS OF DESIRE, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
Graphic Expressions: American Works on Paper from the Permanent Collection, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia
Evidence: Paper Works, the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, Georgia
2005
Recent Acquisitions, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana
Drawing Conclusions, Georgia State University Rialto Center for the Performing Arts, Atlanta, Georgia
2004
Contemporary Southern Drawings from the Permanent Collection, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia
Freedom Salon, Deitch Projects, New York, New York
2003
Reading: Material, Volume Gallery, New York, New York
2002
Georgia Triennial, City Gallery East, Atlanta, Georgia
1998
New Orleans Triennial, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, Louisiana
1995
New Orleans Triennial, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, Louisiana
1994
National Endowment for the Arts and Southern Arts Federation Regional Fellows, Southeast Center of Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Creating in Crisis: Making Art in the Midst of Aids, Spaces Contemporary Art Center, Cleveland Ohio
1988
Artists in Georgia, Nexus Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, Georgia
1985
ARTISTS IN GEORGIA, Georgia Museum Of Art, Athens, Georgia 

Honors and Awards

2003
The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Individual Artist Grant 
1997
Residency Fellowship, The Hambidge Center, Rabun Gap, Georgia
1996
Residency Fellowship and CGR Scholarship, The Hambidge Center, Rabun Gap, Georgia
1994
National Endowment for the Arts and Southern Arts Federation Regional Fellowship
1993
Georgia Council for the Arts, Individual Artist Grant in Drawing

Selected Public and Private Collections

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia
Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana
Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, Louisiana
Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia
J.B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, Alabama
Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia
Mennello Museum of American Folk Art, Orlando, Florida
State University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia
Phillip Aarons + PRINTED MATTER, New York, New York
Patch Adams, M.D. + Gesundheit Institute, Arlington, Virginia
The Judith Alexander Foundation, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia
Lucinda Bunnen, Atlanta, Georgia
James Brett, London, England
Edie Falco, New York, New York
King and Spalding, LLP., Atlanta, Georgia
Fabio Rossi, London and Hong Kong 

Affiliations

Drawing Center Viewing Program Artist Registry, New York, New York
Henry Boxer Gallery, London, England
Laney Contemporary, Savannah, Georgia
Shrine, NY, NY
Whitespace, Atlanta, Georgia 

Bibliography

Laura Nwogu, “Benjamin Jones on Creating Unique Art and Finding Peace on Tybee Island,” Savannah Now, 10/10/21
Chad Scott, “Benjamin Jones Drawing and Sculpture at Laney Contemporary in Savannah,” See Great Art, 10/10/21
Melissa Stern, “An Outsider Artist Channels His Demons into Uniquely Funny and Dark Compositions,” Hyperallergic, 01/31/20
Lois Reitzes, City Lights Interview, WABE/NPR, 01/16/20
Ryan McFadin, “Georgia Artist Benjamin Jones Embraces the Weirdness of Life with Art, WABE/NPR, 01/16/20
Felicia Feaster, “Georgia Artist Rages Against the Machine,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 01/10/20
Benjamin Jones: Speaking, Exhibition Catalogue, The Museum of Contemporary Art Georgia, 12/719-2/15/20
Shelley Danzy, “Q & A: Artist Benjamin Jones on the World’s Madness and the Art of Breathing Again,” ArtsATL, 12/16/19
Felicia Feaster, A PEEK INTO ARTISTIC PROCESS, CHOICES IN ‘THE DRAWING EXPERIMENT,’ Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 07/27/15
Jerry Siegel, FACING SOUTH: PORTRAITS OF SOUTHERN ARTISTS, The University of Alabama Press, 2012, pp. 55-56
Melissa Stern, THE HAUNTING AND LOVELY WORLD OF BENJAMIN JONES, The Weeklings, 07/15/12
Jerry Cullum, Catherine Fox, Cinque Hicks, NOPLACENESS: ART IN A POST URBAN LANDSCAPE, Possible Futures, 2011, pp. 86-89 
Catherine Fox, AN UNTRADITIONAL VIEW OF VIRTUES, SINS, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/21/08, p. D15
Oxford American, Winter 2006, Issue 52, p.19
Catherine Fox, A MATTER OF STYLE, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 12/18/05,  p. L10
Charles Dee Mitchell, BENJAMIN JONES AT GRAY MATTERS, Art in America,  November 2004
Rebecca Dimling Cochran, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, Art Papers, November/December 2004
Roberta Smith, CAUTION: ANGRY ARTISTS AT WORK, New York Times, 08/27/04, p. B1, B23
Catherine Fox, MUSEUM SCORES BIG WITH DONATION, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 08/19/04, p. B1
2003 TIFFANY AWARDS, The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, Catalog, 2004
NEW AMERICAN PAINTINGS, The Open Studios Press, Catalog, No. 52, Vol. 9, 2004 
Catherine Fox, A PEOPLED SOLITUDE: HAMPTON ARTIST DRAWS ON
ISOLATION, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 05/23/04
Jerry Cullum, SOUTHERN DRAW, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 05/06/04, AccessAtlanta, p. 40
Catherine Fox, HOMEGROWN GEMS SPARKLE IN HIGH LIMELIGHT, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 05/02/04
Catherine Fox, DELIGHTFULLY DRAWN, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11/01/02
Catherine Fox, GEORGIANS IN THE SPOTLIGHT, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 04/26/02
NEW AMERICAN PAINTINGS, The Open Studios Press, Catalog, No. 40, Vol. 17, 2002
Catherine Fox, THE ART OF AFTERWARD, IN THE WAKE OF SEPTEMBER 11, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 12/30/01
Catherine Fox, WHAT A WONDERFUL WORD, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 08/31/01
NEW AMERICAN PAINTINGS, The Open Studios Press, Catalog, No. 22, Vol. 4, 1999
Catherine Fox, BEGINNING AT THE END, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 04/14/98
Donald Locke, BASIC INSTINCT- BENJAMIN JONES AT SANDLER-HUDSON,  Creative Loafing, 04/25/98
ARTIST’S PAGES, Art Papers, July/August 1996, Issue 4
Dan Cameron, CRITICAL EDGE/ SOUTHERN EXPOSURES, Art & Auction, 01/95