Jesse Mockrin
Value#25
Egon Investment Scores
Liquidity
4/10
How easily works can be bought and sold at auction
Institutional
8/10
Museum collections, biennials, and institutional recognition
Momentum
8/10
Recent price trends, gallery moves, and market buzz
Discovery
3/10
Undervaluation opportunity relative to peer artists
Risk
3/10
Investment risk factors — higher means more volatile
Market Position
Recent Sales Highlights
| Work | Price | Venue & Date |
|---|---|---|
| A Cymbal Crashed and Roaring Horns | $101,600 | March 7, 2024 |
| The Timid Lover | $64,931 | 2021 |
- Liquidity
- Notes
- Limited secondary market presence indicates gallery-controlled distribution. Works rarely appear at auction, suggesting strong collector retention and primary market strength.
- Assessment
- Moderate-Low
- Comparables
- John Currin (mentioned in Phillips catalogue), Marina Perez Simão, contemporary figurative painters working with historical references
- Collector Base
- Cross-generational appeal: contemporary art collectors, Old Master enthusiasts, feminist art collectors, institutional buyers
- Primary Market
- Market Tier
- Mid-tier contemporary with strong gallery waiting list
- Availability
- Strong waiting list reported at James Cohan Gallery (2024)
- Fair Presence
- Art Basel (Basel, Miami Beach), Frieze London, Art Toronto - regular participation 2022-2025
- Pricing Structure
- Gallery pricing not publicly disclosed - contact James Cohan or Night Gallery
- Pricing Indicators
- Year
- 2024
- Notes
- Indicates strong collector demand and crossover appeal to Old Master collectors
- Context
- Robert Simon Fine Art package deal
- Price USD
- $550,000
- Description
- Jesse Mockrin work 'Unyielding' (2023, 13.25 x 9 in) paired with Guido Reni Old Master painting
- Auction History
- Recent Results
Title Year Result Hammer Price USD Sale Date Sale Venue A Cymbal Crashed and Roaring Horns 2017 Sold 4x low estimate - auction record $101,600 March 7, 2024 Phillips London The Timid Lover — Sold $64,931 2021 Sotheby's Hong Kong - Price Trajectory
- Ascending - auction record set 2024 with significant multiple over estimate
- Auction Frequency
- Limited - artist maintains gallery-controlled primary market
- Total Lots Tracked
- Multiple times at auction (limited secondary market presence)
- Market Position
- Trend
- Strong upward trajectory
- Indicators
- Auction record quadrupled estimate (2024)First major museum solo exhibition (2025)Gallery waiting list developmentCross-collector appeal (contemporary + Old Master collectors)International bidding activity (China, UAE, Europe, USA)
Institutional Presence
Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, IL, USALos Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Los Angeles, CA, USADallas Museum of Art
Dallas, TX, USAMuseum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
Los Angeles, CA, USAMuseum of Contemporary Art San Diego
San Diego, CA, USASanta Barbara Museum of Art
Santa Barbara, CA, USAArt Gallery of Ontario
Toronto, CanadaThe Morgan Library & Museum
New York, NY, USAInstitute of Contemporary Art Miami
Miami, FL, USARubell Collection/Museum
Miami, FL / Washington, DC, USAAurora Museum
Shanghai, ChinaXiao Museum
Rizhao, ChinaMougins Museum
Mougins, FranceHans-Joachim and Gisa Sander Foundation
Darmstadt, GermanyKRC Collection
Voorschoten, Netherlands- Exhibitions
- Solo Exhibitions
Title Dates Venue Location Jesse Mockrin: Echo September 11, 2025 - March 8, 2026 Art Gallery of Ontario Toronto, Canada First Romance October 10 - November 1, 2025 James Cohan Gallery New York, NY The Venus Effect September 8 - October 21, 2023 James Cohan Gallery New York, NY Succession April 21 - May 28, 2023 Center of International Contemporary Art Vancouver, Canada Reliquary 2022 Night Gallery Los Angeles, CA The marks of a stranger 2019 Nathalie Karg Gallery New York, NY Syrinx December 2018 - January 2019 Night Gallery Los Angeles, CA XOXO March 2017 Galerie Perrotin Seoul, South Korea The Pleasures of Dance November 2016 Nathalie Karg Gallery New York, NY The Progress of Love 2016 Night Gallery Los Angeles, CA - Group Exhibitions Selected
Title Dates Venue Location 16th Lyon Biennale of Contemporary Art: manifesto of fragility September 14 - December 31, 2022 Lyon Biennale Lyon, France Film Noir 2022 The Bunker West Palm Beach, FL European Collections: Special Presentation May 7 - July 2, 2019 Dallas Museum of Art Dallas, TX High Anxiety: New Acquisitions November 30, 2016 - August 25, 2017 Rubell Family Collection Miami, FL Spotlight: Jesse Mockrin April 9 - May 17, 2025 FLAG Art Foundation New York, NY Behind the Bedroom Door January 10 - February 8, 2025 James Cohan New York, NY
- Museum Collections
- Institutional Validation Notes
- Strong and growing institutional presence across major US museums (Art Institute of Chicago, LACMA, MOCA LA, Dallas Museum of Art) plus international recognition. First major museum solo (AGO 2025) represents significant career milestone. Acquisition by Art Gallery of Ontario and presence in Tier 1 private museums (Rubell) demonstrates curatorial interest.
Career & Biography
- Career
- Notable Milestones
- 2020: Painted Billie Eilish portrait for Vogue in Caravaggio style2022: Featured in 16th Lyon Biennale of Contemporary Art2022: Joined James Cohan Gallery (New York) representation2024: Set auction record at Phillips London2025: First major solo museum exhibition at Art Gallery of Ontario
- Identity
- Medium
- Oil painting on linen/cotton, figurative works, drawings
- Current Location
- Philadelphia, PA (previously Los Angeles, CA)
- Artistic Approach
- Extracts details from European Old Master paintings (16th-17th century Baroque, Rococo, Renaissance), recontextualizing cultural narratives through contemporary feminist lens. Employs cropping, fragmentation, and recombination across diptychs and triptychs. Focuses on gender-based violence, gender fluidity, and power structures in art historical canon.
- Artistic Context
- Key Influences
- Caravaggio, Vermeer, Fragonard, Rubens, Guido Reni, John Singer Sargent, Artemisia Gentileschi
Artistic Profile
- Influences
- Influences and References
- Historical Sources
- 17th-century Baroque painters (Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, Guido Reni)Rococo masters (Fragonard, Boucher)Neoclassical (Ingres)Rubens, Vermeer, Nicolas Tournier, Hendrick ter Brugghen, Georges de La Tour
- Cultural References
- Korean pop idols, Gucci fashion campaigns, contemporary gender discourse, 19th-century underage Civil War soldiers (First Romance series, 2025)
- Contemporary Influences
- John Currin (mentioned as comparable), feminist appropriation artists, photography background informs cropping strategies
- Themes and Subjects
- Primary
- Gender-based violence in art historical narrativesGender fluidity and androgynyPower structures and patriarchyAppropriation and recontextualizationFeminist revision of canonical stories
- Subject Matter
- Biblical heroines (Susanna, Bathsheba, Eve, Judith)Mythological figures (Daphne, Echo, Syrinx, Sabine women)Baroque and Rococo scenesHands and gestures (artist particularly focused on hands)Bodies in distress or transformation
- Movements and Periods
- Art Historical Positioning
- Lineage
- Part of tradition of feminist appropriation art, but distinguished by specific focus on gender-based violence in canonical narratives. Technical mastery of Old Master techniques combined with contemporary conceptual framework
- Innovation
- Unique approach to fragmentation across multi-panel works that 'build new bodies across the divide between panels.' Successfully bridges Old Master collector market with contemporary feminist discourse
- Cultural Relevance
- Work speaks directly to contemporary #MeToo era conversations about gender violence while revealing historical continuities. Mainstream recognition (Vogue commission) alongside critical respect
- Techniques and Mediums
- Scale
- Range from small works (7 x 5 inches) to monumental installations (The Descent: 228.6 x 787.4 cm)
- Medium
- Oil on cotton/linen, graphite on paper
- Technique
- Meticulous adoption of 17th-century painting technique: highly realistic attention to detail, invisible brushstrokes, thin glaze finishes, luminous flesh tones
- Color Palette
- Rich jewel tones, dramatic chiaroscuro, luminous flesh against deep blacks
- Compositional Strategies
- Cropping and fragmentation of historical compositionsDiptych and triptych formats with gaps between panelsElimination of background context - pitch-black or empty spaceEnlargement of details (hands, fabric, gestures)Bodies truncated at canvas edgesFaces often obscured or composited
Critical Reception
- Critical Reception
- Books
Title Year Significance Publisher Prime: Art's Next Generation 2022 Included among 100+ emerging/mid-career artists to watch Phaidon Jesse Mockrin: Echo 2025 First museum catalogue. Includes interview with Adam Harris Levine, texts by Carmen Maria Machado and Jacoba Urist Art Gallery of Ontario with Del Monico Books • D.A.P. - Academic Context
- Work analyzed through feminist art history lens, gender studies, appropriation theory
- Catalogue Raisonne
- No catalogue raisonné published
- Critical Consensus
- Strengths
- Exceptional technical skill in Old Master painting techniquesConceptually rigorous feminist recontextualization of art historySophisticated engagement with gender fluidity and violenceSuccessfully bridges historical and contemporary discourseStrong aesthetic appeal combined with intellectual depth
- Trajectory
- Critical reputation growing significantly - from emerging LA artist (2013-2016) to internationally recognized mid-career artist with museum validation (2022-2025)
- Positioning
- Positioned as important voice in contemporary feminist appropriation art, comparable to artists working with historical references but with distinctive focus on gender-based violence and power structures
- Publications and Media
- Website
- jessemockrin.com - professional portfolio site
- @jessemockrin - 28,000 followers
- Press Coverage
- Extensive online coverage across major art publications and mainstream media
- Major Publications
Significance Coverage Publication Tier 1 critical validation Multiple reviews including Critics' Picks (March 2016) Artforum Mainstream cultural recognition Multiple features including Billie Eilish portrait commission (February 2020), artist profiles Vogue Major mainstream press coverage Multiple features including T Magazine (March 2016) The New York Times Elite cultural publication Featured coverage The New Yorker Tier 1 art publication Critical reviews and features Art in America Major art world publication Exhibition reviews and artist profiles ARTnews Industry-leading art market publication In-depth features on exhibitions (September 2023) Artnet News Business/collector audience Exhibition reviews and market analysis Forbes Respected art criticism Critical reviews Modern Painters Important contemporary art criticism Critical reviews The Brooklyn Rail Online art market leader Major profile 'Jesse Mockrin's Cropped Rococo Paintings Break the Spell of Art History' (March 2016) Artsy Auction house featuring artist in editorial content 'A Painting Is a Land without Laws': Artist Jesse Mockrin on Old Masters (May 2024) Sotheby's Canadian national coverage ahead of AGO exhibition Major feature comparing to Kent Monkman (November 2025) The Globe and Mail
Gallery & Representation
- Representation
- Fair Strategy
- Regular participation in top-tier international fairs (Art Basel, Frieze) indicating strong gallery investment in artist's market development
- Market Positioning
- James Cohan represents established and emerging contemporary artists with strong institutional track records. Night Gallery has launched numerous successful LA-based artists.
- Gallery Tier Assessment
- Strong Tier 2 with trajectory toward Tier 1
- Secondary Representation
Locations Gallery Status New York, NY Nathalie Karg Gallery Past exhibitions - relationship unclear Seoul, South Korea Galerie Perrotin Solo exhibition 2017 - collaboration with Night Gallery
- Geographic Reach
- Works available through primary galleries with reported waiting list at James Cohan
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