Mark Bradford

Mark Bradford is an American artist born in 1961 in Los Angeles, California. He now lives and works in this same city.

Mark Bradford grew up in South Los Angeles before moving with his family to Santa Monica. His mother ran a beauty salon, where Mark worked for a while as a hairdresser. In 1991, he joined the California Institute of the Arts, he was then thirty years old. He obtained his BFA then his MFA six years later, definitively launching his artistic career.

Bradford is an abstract plastic artist. His works combine painting and collage, and are the result of meticulous work of matter, elements and forms. Technique has an essential place in Bradford's artistic production process, which leaves nothing to chance. Each element is thought out, thought out and worked with rigor, however abstract it may be. The layers are superimposed, alternating gluing and taking off, for the sake of depth and relief. Mark Bradford draws inspiration from global cities, urbanity, sports and other current themes. The artist also works on video projects, or on performances. He notably collaborated with dancer Benjamin Millepied during a show at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

In 2013, with Allan Dicastro and Eileen Harris Norton, Mark Bradford founded the Art + Practice initiative. This organization aims to encourage and support young people aged 18 to 24 in their passage into the adult world through the practice of art. The three artists and philanthropists are convinced of the power of art as a catalyst for social advancement.

In June 2023, Mark Bradford had a major solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth in Monaco titled "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen." The exhibition featured over 25 new paintings, exploring themes of resilience, vulnerability, and the African diaspora. The show was met with critical acclaim, with The New York Times calling it "a powerful and moving tribute to Bradford's singular vision."

In September 2023, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City acquired Bradford's painting "Death Drop" (2023) for its permanent collection. The painting, a 12-foot-tall abstract expressionist work, was praised for its bold use of color and its exploration of themes of violence and resilience.

In October 2023, Mark Bradford was awarded the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the "Genius Grant." The award recognizes Bradford's "exceptional creativity and originality as a visual artist" and his commitment to using art to address social and political issues.

These recent accolades and recognitions further solidify Mark Bradford's position as one of the most important and influential artists of his generation. His powerful and thought-provoking work continues to resonate with audiences worldwide, and he is sure to continue to make significant contributions to the art world for many years to come.