Born 1955, Norwalk, CT
Joe Coleman is a world-renowned painter, writer and performer who has exhibited for four decades in major museums throughout the world including one-man exhibitions at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin, the Barbican Centre in London, Tilton Gallery and Dickinson Gallery in New York. He was recently featured in the ground-breaking "Unrealism" show in Miami presented by Jeffrey Deitch and Larry Gagosian.
His performance work from the 1980's was some of the most radical of its time, and can be seen in the films Mondo New York (1988) and Captured (2008). The book on extreme performance, Avant Garde from Below: Transgressive Performance from Iggy Pop to Joe Coleman and G.G. Allin by Clemens Marschall, explores Coleman's influence during this pivotal period.
An avid and passionate collector, Coleman's "Odditorium" is a private museum where sideshow objects, wax figures, crime artifacts and works of religious devotion live together to form a dark mirror that reflects the alternative side of the American psyche. His work has been published in numerous books, prints and records.
Joe Coleman was the subject of an award-winning feature length documentary, Rest in Pieces: A Portrait of Joe Coleman (1997). He has appeared in acting roles in films such as Asia Argento's Scarlet Diva (2000) and The Cruel Tale of the Medicine Man (2015). He lives with his wife Whitney Ward in New York.
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023
Joe Coleman: 100 Seconds to Midnight, Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York, NY
2019
Joe Coleman and the Shadow Self, Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York, NY
2016
Doorway to Joe: The Art of Joe Coleman, Begovich Gallery, California State University, Fullerton, CA
2010
Joe Coleman: Auto-Portrait, Dickinson Gallery, New York, NY
2008
Devotio Moderno: Joe Coleman/Northern Primitives, Dickinson Gallery, New York, NY
2007
Joe Coleman: Internal Digging, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany
Joe Coleman: 14 Paintings, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
2006
Joe Coleman: 30 Paintings and a Selection from the Odditorium, Jack Tilton Gallery, New York, NY
2001
Recent Paintings, The Odditorium, Presented by Jim Corcoran at Ernie Wolf Gallery, Los Angeles
1999
Joe Coleman: Matrix 139, The Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford, CT
1998
Original Sin, The Horse Hospital, London, England
1997
Joe Coleman, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL
1993
Joe Coleman: Painting & Assemblages, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1992
Joe Coleman: Infernal Machine, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
The Physical Manifestation of Internal Pain, Psychedelic Solution, New York, NY
1989
Joe Coleman/Recent Works, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1987
Joe Coleman, Chronocide Gallery, New York, NY
1986
Joe Coleman, Chronocide Gallery, New York, NY
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026
The Great Unseen Collection: A Selection of Works from Joel and Carole Bernstein, David Zwirner, New York, NY
Self-Made: A Century of Inventing Artists, American Folk Art Museum, New York, NY
2025
Carnival, curated by Joe Coleman, Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, New York, NY
2024
Conjuring the Spirit World: Art, Magic, and Mediums, Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA
The Way I See It: Selections from the KAWS Collection, The Drawing Center, New York, NY
2022
Small Paintings, Venus Over Manhattan, New York, NY
Field Trip: Psychedelic Solution, curated by Fred Tomaselli, Outsider Art Fair, New York, NY
Luncheon on the Grass, Jeffery Deitch, Los Angeles, CA
2021
Seen in the Mirror, Things from the Cartin Collection, David Zwirner, New York, NY
2019
We Shall Make America Wonder, Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York, NY
2015
Unrealism, Jeffrey Deitch and Larry Gagosian, Moore Building, Miami, FL
When the Curtain Never Comes Down, American Folk Art Museum, New York, NY
2012
Raw Vision: 25 Years of Art Brut, Halle Saint Pierre, Paris, France
Hey! Modern Art & Pop Culture Part II, Halle Saint Pierre, Paris, France
2010
One on One, KW Institute, Berlin, Germany
2009
Houdini: Art and Magic, The Jewish Museum, New York, NY
The Endless Renaissance, Bass Museum, Miami, FL
The Triptych in Modern Art, KunstMuseum, Stuttgart, Germany
Man Son 1969 - The Horror of the Situation, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany
2006
Subject, Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT
2002
Wormhole, Franz Hals Museum, Haarlem, The Netherlands
Acquiring Taste, Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT
2001
The Circus in Twentieth Century Art, The Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford, CT
Hieronymus Bosch, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
War and Peace, American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore, MD
1997
The End is Near!, American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore, MD
1993
Cult Rapture Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA
PERFORMANCES AND FILM/TV
2019
Joe Coleman and the Shadow Self, Market Hotel, Brooklyn, NY
2018
Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown “Lower East Side”
Live From Miskatonic: Joe Coleman - Stealing Fire: The Mastery of the Outsider (Live conversation and film presentation.), Film Noir Cinema, Brooklyn, NY
The Doorway to Joe: The Art of Joe Coleman (A conversation between the artist and writer, Harold Schechter.), Greenwood Cemetery Chapel, Brooklyn, NY
2017
Joe Coleman with Lydia Lunch, Berlin, New York, NY
Asia Argento and Friends, Salo, Paris, FR
2016
Into the Night with Jim Rose and Joe Coleman (Arte TV, Germany), Nantes, FR
Killing Time: The Chronology of Creativity in Outsider Art (panel discussion), Outsider Art Fair, New York, NY
2015
The Plutonium Particle Fission Follies (Vaudeville performance with Billy Leroy and Lorraine Leckie), The Slipper Room, New York, NY
The Cruel Tale of the Medicine Man (Feature directed by James Habacker. Joe plays title character in this burlesque horror thriller)
2014
Don Peyote (Feature film by Mike Canzoniero. Joe plays John the Baptist)
2013
One on One (Performance installation), KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany
2012
Carl Panzram: The Spirit of Hatred and Vengeance (Feature documentary by John Borowski. Interview with and artwork by Joe)
2010
Performance with legendary sideshow impresario Ward Hall Sideshow by the Seashore/Coney Island, NY
2009
Derring Do (performance), Sideshow by the Seashore/Coney Island, NY
Bit Rare Fiend (Short film directed by Joe), One Dream Rush Film Festival, Beijing, CN
Monsterland (TV documentary by Jörg Buttgereit, Joe appears as a talking head)
2007
Albert Fish (Documentary feature by John Borowski. Interview with and images by Joe)
Lecture at The Mindstates Conference, Costa Rica, Central America
Into the Night with Joe Coleman and Asia Argento (Arte TV, Germany) NYC
2006
Memoirs of My Nervous Illness (Feature film by Julian Hobbs. Joe plays Dr. Moritz Schreber)
2005
Retinal Stigmatics: An Evening with Joe Coleman (Live multi-media event.), Fantasia Festival, Montreal, Canada
2001
Someplace in Nowhere (Joe’s “opera” performed with original score by Norwegian band, Motorpsycho), Festpillenne-Bergen International Festival, Bergen, NO
Someplace in Nowhere (Joe’s “opera” performed with original score by Scottish band, The Delgados)
“Outsider Art/Music,” The Barbican Centre Theatre, London, England
2000
Scarlet Diva (Feature by Asia Argento. Joe plays a sleazy Hollywood producer based on Harvey Weinstein)
1998
Clayton Patterson Presents: Joe Coleman (Verite’ video portrait by Patterson.) M/W/F Video Club, Staten Island, NY
An Audience with the Artist (Q & A at UK launch party for his solo exhibition, Original Sin), The Horse Hospital, London, UK
1997
R.I.P.: Rest in Pieces/A Portrait of Joe Coleman (Feature documentary about Joe Coleman by Robert Pejo.)
1992
Black Hearts Bleed Red (Independent film by Jeri Cain Rossi. Joe plays a major role as “The Misfit.”)
1990
Shadows in the City (Feature by Ari Roussimoff. Joe plays “Mephisto.”)
1989
Final performance as “Mombooze-o”
Boston Film and Video Foundation, Boston, MA
1988
Mondo New York (Documentary feature by Harvey Keith. Joe is featured doing a preaching geek performance)
Professor Mombooze-o Performance, Hotel Amazon, New York, NY
1985
Where Evil Dwells (Film by David Wojnarowicz and Tommy Turner. Joe plays Satan)
1982
Harmful or Fatal if Swallowed (Film by Manuel Delanda. Joe wrote and did voiceover.)
1981
Professor Mombooze-o Performance, The Kitchen, New York, NY
1980
Ten-year High School Reunion Performance (Joe impersonates deceased class member, Doug Sprag.), Oceanside, L.I, NY.
1979
Raw Nerves (Film by Manuel Delanda, co-written by Joe.)
1978
Incontinence: A Diarrhetic Flow of Mismatches (Film by Manuel Delanda. Joe’s first appearance on film as “Professor Mombooze-o.”)
Uncle Ted’s Ghoul Show (Pennsylvania Cable TV show. Joe cameos as a “monster robot” and “Rondo the Self-decapitating Wonder.”
1977
The Uncle Floyd Show (Joe as “Mad Dog” performs with band The Steel Tips on children’s TV show.), New Jersey Cable TV
1976-1980
Joe performs with his band The Steel Tips.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
A Doorway to Joe: The Art of Joe Coleman, Fantagraphics, 2024
The Book of Joe: The Art of Joe Coleman, 2003, Limited edition with hand-made etching, published by Last Gasp and La Luz de Jesus books
Joe Coleman: Internal Digging, 2007, published by KW Institute of Contemporary Art in Berlin Germany, Foreward by Susanne Pfeffer
Original Sin: The Visionary Art of Joe Coleman, 1997, With essays by Jim Jarmusch, Harold Schechter, John Yau, Heck Editions
Joe Coleman’s Muzzlers, Guzzlers and Good Yeggs, 2006, From Publisher’s Weekly, published by Fantagraphics Books
The Man of Sorrows, 1993, Limited edition collector’s piece
Cosmic Retribution: The Infernal Art of Joe Coleman, 1992, Edited by Adam Parfrey and Pat Moriarity
Joe Coleman: Auto-Portrait, Catalogue raisonné for Simon Dickinson Exhibition of the same name
The Mystery of Wolverine Woo-Bait, 2004, published by Fantagraphics Books
COLLECTIONS
Museum of Everything, London
Spencer Art Museum, Lawrence, Kansas