Nancy Chunn
Encyclopedia
Nancy Chunn is an American artist (b.1941) based in New York, New York. Known for her commitment to geopolitical issues, Chunn’s work includes a diverse range of painting
s.
, California
and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts
in 1969 from the California Institute of the Arts
, Valencia, CA. She began her career on the west coast
before moving to New York in the late 1970s, where she currently lives and works.
Chunn has exhibited internationally and has been represented by Ronald Feldman Fine Arts in New York since 1985.
Chunn also teaches painting at the School of Visual Arts
in New York and will be teaching a master painting class at Otis College of Art and Design
in Los Angeles in the fall of 2007.
A self-proclaimed “political junkie,” she achieved critical success with her early map like paintings of tyrannized nations and has continued her commitment to documenting world events and the repeating cycle of history in the paintings she has produced since the early 1980s.
She is largely recognized for the yearlong Front Pages project, where she applied images and text to provide commentary on every cover page of The New York Times
from January 1 to December 31, 1996. In 1997, Rizzoli
produced a hardcover book illustrating each of the project’s works.
Chunn’s most recent painting series, Chicken Little and the Culture of Fear, on which she has worked since 2004, focuses on the terrorism
crisis in America
and the panic it perpetuates. This theme was similarly depicted in her 9/11 piece from 2002-2004. Following her 1999-2001 News Stories series of large-scale paintings based on news-breaking stories, Chunn was credited with inventing “a form of history painting for our time.”
A September 2004 Art Price
article maintains that “during her 25-year career, Nancy Chunn’s consistent subject matter and stylistic diversity conveys a full maturity in her artistic vision. Her works clearly display integration of unique painting techniques, and, through a delicate, modern aesthetic, reveal a complex social conscience, which one can only rarely experience today.”
. In 2005, Chunn received an Anonymous Was A Woman grant. She has also twice received a Fellowship Award in Painting from the National Endowment for the Arts
, namely in 1985 and 1995.
Ben Maltz Gallery
, Los Angeles, CA, Nancy Chunn: Media Madness, November 3, 2007 – January 8, 2008.
2004
Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York, NY, Paintings 1982–2004, September 10 – October 16.
2001
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
, Little Rock, AR, Art, Politics, and the Media: Front Pages 1996 by Nancy Chunn, November 1 – November 28.
Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York, NY, News Stories, October 13 – November 10.
2000
Olin Art Gallery, Kenyon College
, Gambier, Ohio
, In the News, January 20 – February 27.
1998
Addison/Ripley Fine Art, Washington, DC, New Work 1997, January 15 – February 28.
The Corcoran Museum of Art, Washington, DC, Front Pages, January 10 – March 1.
1997
Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art, Portland, ME, Nancy Chunn: Front Pages 1996, November 6 – December 14.
Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York, NY, Front Pages 1996, January 11 – February 15.
1992
Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York, NY, The China Series, Part I: 2200 B.C.-1368 A.D., October 31 – November 28.
1989
Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York, NY, Nancy Chunn, May 6 – June 3.
1987
Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL, Nancy Chunn, November 20, 2007 – January 10, 1988.
Feature Gallery, Chicago, IL, April 24-May 23.
Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York, NY, Nancy Chunn: Paintings, January 10 – February 7.
1986
Hewlett Gallery, Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts
, Pittsburgh, PA, February.
1984
Concord Gallery, New York, NY, April.
1981
A&M Artworks, New York, NY, February.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s.
Biography
Nancy Chunn was born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
in 1969 from the California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
, Valencia, CA. She began her career on the west coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
before moving to New York in the late 1970s, where she currently lives and works.
Chunn has exhibited internationally and has been represented by Ronald Feldman Fine Arts in New York since 1985.
Chunn also teaches painting at the School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
in New York and will be teaching a master painting class at Otis College of Art and Design
Otis College of Art and Design
Otis College of Art and Design is an art and design college in Los Angeles, California.The school's programs, accredited by WASC and National Association of Schools of Art and Design, include four-year BFA degrees in illustration, fine arts, graphic design, architecture, landscape design, interior...
in Los Angeles in the fall of 2007.
Chunn’s work
Chunn’s paintings commonly expose the political arena and portray the power of the media to define and control public opinion.A self-proclaimed “political junkie,” she achieved critical success with her early map like paintings of tyrannized nations and has continued her commitment to documenting world events and the repeating cycle of history in the paintings she has produced since the early 1980s.
She is largely recognized for the yearlong Front Pages project, where she applied images and text to provide commentary on every cover page of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
from January 1 to December 31, 1996. In 1997, Rizzoli
RCS MediaGroup
RCS MediaGroup S.p.A. , based in Milan and listed on the Italian Stock Exchange, is an international multimedia publishing group that operates in daily newspapers, magazines and books, radio broadcasting, new media and digital and satellite TV...
produced a hardcover book illustrating each of the project’s works.
Chunn’s most recent painting series, Chicken Little and the Culture of Fear, on which she has worked since 2004, focuses on the terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
crisis in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the panic it perpetuates. This theme was similarly depicted in her 9/11 piece from 2002-2004. Following her 1999-2001 News Stories series of large-scale paintings based on news-breaking stories, Chunn was credited with inventing “a form of history painting for our time.”
A September 2004 Art Price
Art Price
Art Price is a former linebacker in the National Football League. He played with the Atlanta Falcons during the 1987 NFL season.-References:...
article maintains that “during her 25-year career, Nancy Chunn’s consistent subject matter and stylistic diversity conveys a full maturity in her artistic vision. Her works clearly display integration of unique painting techniques, and, through a delicate, modern aesthetic, reveal a complex social conscience, which one can only rarely experience today.”
Awards
Most recently, Chunn was named Honoree of the fall 2007 Jennifer Howard Coleman Distinguished Lectureship and Residency at Otis College of Art and DesignOtis College of Art and Design
Otis College of Art and Design is an art and design college in Los Angeles, California.The school's programs, accredited by WASC and National Association of Schools of Art and Design, include four-year BFA degrees in illustration, fine arts, graphic design, architecture, landscape design, interior...
. In 2005, Chunn received an Anonymous Was A Woman grant. She has also twice received a Fellowship Award in Painting from the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
, namely in 1985 and 1995.
Public collections
- City of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Ms. Foundation for WomenMs. Foundation for WomenThe Ms. Foundation for Women, a non-profit organization, was founded in 1973 by Gloria Steinem, Patricia Carbine, Letty Cottin Pogrebin and Marlo Thomas. Established at the height of the feminist movement, the Ms...
, New York, NY - Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL
- The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, New York, NY - The Progressive Corporation, Cleveland, OH
- The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Newark, NJ
Commissions
- Public School 125, Queens, NY permanent installation painting, commissioned by the City of New York, 1995
- Chicago LibraryLibraryIn a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
Uptown Branch, Chicago, IL, permanent installation painting, commissioned by the City of Chicago, 1993-1995.
Solo exhibitions
2007Ben Maltz Gallery
Ben Maltz Gallery
The Ben Maltz Gallery at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles is a professional art space that presents group and solo exhibitions in a variety of media. The Gallery’s main focus is showcasing contemporary art that pushes the boundaries of form and subject matter in the context of national...
, Los Angeles, CA, Nancy Chunn: Media Madness, November 3, 2007 – January 8, 2008.
2004
Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York, NY, Paintings 1982–2004, September 10 – October 16.
2001
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
University of Arkansas at Little Rock , is a public research university located in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, and the second largest university by enrollment in the state of Arkansas....
, Little Rock, AR, Art, Politics, and the Media: Front Pages 1996 by Nancy Chunn, November 1 – November 28.
Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York, NY, News Stories, October 13 – November 10.
2000
Olin Art Gallery, Kenyon College
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
, Gambier, Ohio
Gambier, Ohio
Gambier is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,871 at the 2000 census.Gambier is the home of Kenyon College and was named after one of Kenyon College's early benefactors, Lord Gambier....
, In the News, January 20 – February 27.
1998
Addison/Ripley Fine Art, Washington, DC, New Work 1997, January 15 – February 28.
The Corcoran Museum of Art, Washington, DC, Front Pages, January 10 – March 1.
1997
Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art, Portland, ME, Nancy Chunn: Front Pages 1996, November 6 – December 14.
Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York, NY, Front Pages 1996, January 11 – February 15.
1992
Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York, NY, The China Series, Part I: 2200 B.C.-1368 A.D., October 31 – November 28.
1989
Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York, NY, Nancy Chunn, May 6 – June 3.
1987
Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL, Nancy Chunn, November 20, 2007 – January 10, 1988.
Feature Gallery, Chicago, IL, April 24-May 23.
Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York, NY, Nancy Chunn: Paintings, January 10 – February 7.
1986
Hewlett Gallery, Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts
Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts
The College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA oversees the Schools of Architecture, Art, Design, Drama, and Music; along with its associated centers, studios, and galleries....
, Pittsburgh, PA, February.
1984
Concord Gallery, New York, NY, April.
1981
A&M Artworks, New York, NY, February.