“The paintings we are about to examine are inescapably a bundle of contradictions, satirical complexities, and witty subterfuge. Essentially, Jackson is a uniquely self-realized painter.
”
“The assured, accomplished hand of Robert Jackson easily places him among our most important mid-career American Realist painters. Although grounded in a technique that is near classical in its complex, meticulously rendered imagery, it is the subject matter itself, rife with giddy innuendo, that delights us with its irony, while still attesting to the precarious possibilities that greet – or threaten – us at the dawn of each new day. ”
“If Jackson is riffing on the momento mori of Dutch still lifes, his own message veers much closer to “carpe diem.”
“Sometimes I wish I could stop thinking about painting and creating, it’s constant… on the other hand, I suppose I’m darn fortunate I love what I do.” Robert C. Jackson (b. 1964 Kinston, NC) worked as an Electrical Engineer (designing radio systems for Motorola from 1986-1990) and then as an Assistant Pastor (for Cedar Ridge Community Church in Maryland from 1990-1996), before settling down to his full-time and fulfilling career as a contemporary still life artist (1996-present). Robert's artwork can now be found exhibiting in galleries and museums coast to coast. Presently, Robert lives in Kennett Square, PA with his wife and three children.
“What’s startling about his work is the sense of mix: of sophisticated and naïve, of high modernist art and 19th century trompe l’oeil and folk art, of witty philosophical mind games and silly popular jokes. Notably, this is also the sort of strange mix of sensibilities one finds in the best American novelists, such as Mark Twain.”
“The result is a wonderful mix of stillness and sophistication, of innovation and nostalgia, of surface delights and allegorical depths.”
“In the celebrated Brandywine Valley art scene, Kennett Square’s Bob Jackson is the epitome of the talented dark horse toiling in the shadows—and this dark horse has a wicked sense of the absurd, turning out colorful, whimsical, meticulously rendered still lifes that both draw upon and subvert the American realist tradition.”
Resume
Robert Coleman Jackson
Born:
Kinston, N.C. October 17, 1964
Education:
BSEE University of Delaware 1986
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020
Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT
2019
Evansville Museum of Arts, History, & Science, Evansville,IN
2017
Gallery Henoch, New York NY
2016
Arden Gallery, Boston MA
Somerville Manning Gallery, Greenville DE
2015
Arden Gallery, Boston MA
Samuel Owen Gallery, Nantucket MA
2014
South Dakota Museum of Art, Brookings, South Dakota
Gallery Henoch, New York, New York
2013
Arden Gallery, Boston MA
2012
Evansville Museum of Arts and Sciences, Evansville IN (catalog)
Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
Arden Gallery, Boston MA
Southport Galleries, Greenwich, CT
2011
Gallery Henoch, New York, NY (catalog)
2010
Arden Gallery, Boston MA
2009
Arden Gallery, Boston MA(catalog)
Leslie Levy Gallery, Scottsdale AZ
2008
Arden Gallery, Boston MA(catalog)
2007
Wynne-Falconer Gallery, Chatham, MA (catalog)
Arden Gallery, Boston MA (catalog)
2006
Zenith Gallery, Washington DC
2005
Arden Gallery, Boston MA
Somerhill Gallery, Chapel Hill NC
2004
Arden Gallery, BostonMA
2003
Zenith Gallery, WashingtonDC
Delaware Division of the Arts, Wilmington DE
2002
Somerhill Gallery, Chapel Hill NC
2001
Arden Gallery (Two Person), Boston MA
Zenith Gallery, WashingtonDC
2000
SomervilleManning Gallery, Greenville DE
Somerhill Gallery, Chapel Hill NC
1998
Zenith Gallery, WashingtonDC
1997
SomervilleManning Gallery, Greenville DE
Zenith Gallery, Washington DC
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda MD
COLLECTIONS
Bank of America
Brandywine River Museum of Art
The Children's Hospital, Aurora CO
Delaware Art Museum
Evansville Museum of Art, History, & Science
New Britain Museum of American Art
Seven Bridges Foundation, Greenwich CT
South Dakota Art Museum
University of Michigan Health System
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS, AWARDS
2019
“Food for Thought,” Louis K Meisel Gallery, New York, NY
2018
“Chosen Objects,” Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
“Realism Invitational,” MADoran Gallery, Tulsa, OK
2017
“Tri-State Trompe L’Oeil Artists Invitational,” John F. Peto Studio Museum, Island Heights NJ
2016
“Truth & Vision,” Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, DE
“Behind the Easel,” Somerville Manning Gallery, Greenville, DE
2015
“Still Life,” Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
“Window on the Devine,” Gallery 1261, Denver, CO
2014
“The Faux Sho’,” Islip Art Museum, Islip, NY
“Winter Group Show,” Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
“Not So Still Life,” Southport Galleries, Southport, CT
“Man’s Best Friend – The Art of the Dog,” Somerville Manning Gallery, Greenville, DE
2013
“National Contemporary Realism,” MA Doran Gallery, Tulsa OK
“The City,” Gallery Henoch, New York, NY
“Contemporary Realism,” Gallery 1261, Denver CO
“Realism Invitational” MA Doran Gallery, Tulsa, OK
“Words as Images,” The Gallery at Penn State Lehigh Valley, Center Valley, PA
“Evansville Collects: Contemporary American Still Life,” Evansville Museum, Evansville, IN
2012
“Realism Invitational,” MA Doran Gallery, Tulsa, OK
“Feast For the Eyes,” Noyes Museum of Art, Oceanville NJ (Sept – Jan 2013)
“Centennial Exhibition,” Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, DE (Oct – Jan 2013)
“Holiday Group Show,” Gallery Henoch. New York NY
2011
“Celebrating Four Decades of Collecting,” Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, PA
“Realism,” Pismo Gallery, Aspen CO
“Group Show,” Gallery 1261, Denver CO
“Appetite,” Gallery Henoch, New York, New York
2010
“Reality Check,” Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford PA
“Trompe L’Oeil” Somerville Manning Gallery, Greenville, DE
"Corporate Collections," Republic Plaza, Denver CO
“Reality Boost,” Gallery 1261, Denver CO
“Still Life,” Peterson Cody Gallery, Santa Fe NM
“The Perfect Valentine,” MADoran Gallery, Tulsa OK
“Between Realities,” Principle Gallery, Alexandria VA
2009
“Still Life,” Gallery Henoch, NY NY
“Winter Group Show,” Gallery Henoch, NY NY
“Realism Invitational,” MADoran Gallery, Tulsa OK
“Inaugural Inspiration,” Zenith Gallery, Washington DC
“Beyond the Object Project,” Gallery 1261 Denver CO
“The Object Project,” Museum of Outdoor Art, Englewood CO
2008
“Group Show,” Gallery Henoch, NY NY
“Gift Of Art,” Deborah Young Gallery, Sausalito CA
“The Object Project,” Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville SC
"The Object Project," Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa OK
"The Object Project," Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga TN
“Gallery Group Show,” Gallery Henoch, NYC
“Small Works Show,” Gallery 1261, Denver CO
“Trompe L’oeil,” SomervilleManning Gallery, Greenville DE
“Realism by Artists in the Philbrook’s Object Project,” MADoran Gallery, Tulsa OK
“Challenging the Still Life,” Gallery 1261, Denver CO
“Zenith for Real,” Zenith Gallery, Washington DC
2007
“The Object Project,” Evansville Museum of Arts, Evansville IN
“Small Works,” Gallery 1261, Denver CO
“Food Glorious Food III - Diversity,” Zenith Gallery, Washington DC
“Whittled with Wit and Whimsy,” Zenith Gallery, Washington DC
“Summer Exhibition,” Gallery 1261, Denver CO
2006
Salon d’Arts, Colorado History Museum, Denver CO
“Food Glorious Food II – Just Desserts,” Zenith Gallery, Washington DC
”My Favorite Things,” CTE Gallery, Charlotte, NC
2005
“Food Glorious Food,” Zenith Gallery, Washington, DC
2004
“Allied Artists Invitational Traveling Exhibition” (2003-2005)
“Jackson 4,” Delaware Art Museum Sales Gallery, Wilmington, DE
2003
"Annual Realism Invitational," M.A.Doren Gallery, Tulsa OK, (2001, 2002)
“25th Anniversary Celebration,” Zenith Gallery, Washington DC
“Still Life,” Charlene Cody Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2002
"Annual Realism Invitational," Jenkins Johnson Gallery, San Francisco CA, (2001, 2000)
“The Dog Days of Summer,” Zenith Gallery, Washington DC
2001
USArtists2001, 33rd St. Armory, Philadelphia PA, (2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996)
Holiday Exhibition, Somerhill Gallery, Chapel Hill NC (2001,2000)
"Contemporary Realism II," Carol Henderson Gallery, Fort Worth TX
"Emerging Artists," Jenkins Johnson Gallery, San Francisco CA, (2000)
"Feathers and Sticks," Bennett Galleries, Knoxville TN
Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts, WilmingtonDE
"Allied Artists at the Butler," Butler Art Institute, Youngstown OH
2000
"Realism Today," John Pence Gallery - American Artist Magazine, San Francisco, CA
"Realistic Vision," Cudahy's Gallery, Richmond VA
"Still Life" Bennett Galleries, Knoxville TN
1999
"Still," Kougeas Gallery, Boston, MA
"Off the Wall Humor," Zenith Gallery, Washington DC
1998
"Realism '98," Parkersburg Art Ctr, Parkersburg WV, People's Choice Award
Bibliography
Leggio, Gail, Still Life, American Arts Quarterly, Winter 2016, Vol 33, Num 1
Price, Betsy, The One Everybody Talks About, The News Journal, March 18, 2016
Price, Betsy, From Book to Walls, The News Journal, October 30, 2016
American Art Collector, Robert C. Jackson: Telling Stories Through Still Lifes, January 2015, Issue 111
Fine Art Connoisseur, “Celebrating America’s Great Collectors, February 2015, Volume 12, Issue 1
The Fig, Cover Art, Fall 2015, Issue 7
South Dakota Art Museum, Without a Net (Brochure) 2014
A Wry Theatre: The Art of Robert C. Jackson, Evansville Museum of Arts, History, & Science, John W. Streetman III (catalog) 2012
Eliasoph, Philip Robert C. Jackson: Paintings, Schiffer Publishing 2012
Rooney, E. Ashley 100 Artists of the Mid-Atlantic, Schiffer Publishing 2011
Stiffler, Scott, “Three to know, who’ll grow on you,” Chelsea Now, 3/24
Quillman, Catherine 100 Artists of the Brandywine Valley Schiffer Publishing 2010
American Arts Quarterly, “Gallery Henoch,” Winter 2010
Hall, Kim. Robert C. Jackson: Finding the Right Fit (Cover), Art Calendar, September 2009
O’Hern, John, On the Lighter Side, American Art Collector, April 2009, Issue 42
American Art Collector, “Robert C. Jackson: Conceptual Realities,” March 2009, Issue 41
Goslow, Brian. “Robert C. Jackson: Stories” (Cover), Artscope, May/June 2008
Object Project, Evansville Museum of Art, M. Stephen Doherty (hardback catalog) 2007
Doherty, M Stephen, “Object Project: Common Subjects, Uncommon Results,” American Artist, October 2007
American Art Collector, "Robert Jackson"(Cover), January 2007, Issue 15
Drost, Jane. Recipe for Success, ArtNews, June 2006
Southwest Art, Masters Show at Salon, June 2006
American Art Collector, June Art Fair Preview, June 2006, Issue 12
The Rambler, Painted Narration, Jan-Feb 2006
McQuaid, Cate. Gallery Pick – Robert C. Jackson, Boston Globe, Sept 15, 2005
McQuaid, Cate. “Three Shows Shake Up Summer Art Doldrums,” Boston Globe, Aug 20, 2004
Magner, Jim. “Art on Capitol Hill and Beyond,” Hill Rag, Cover and article, January 2004
New American Paintings, Open Studios Press, Issue # 45, May 2003 and Issue #15 1998
Out & About Magazine (Delaware), Cover Art, August 2002
Fourth Annual Realism Invitational, Jenkins Johnson Gallery Catalog, June 2002
American Artist, “Realism Today,” October 2000
Third Annual Realism Invitational, Jenkins Johnson Gallery Catalog, June 2001
Viksjo, Cathy. "Robert Jackson" Chester County Town and Country, Summer 2000
Second Annual Realism Invitational, Jenkins Johnson Gallery Catalog, June 2000
Ganglehoff, Bonnie. "Robert Jackson - Wit and Whimsy" SouthwestArt, May 2000
