Nationally emerging artist John Bell explores multiple movements of contemporary art all at once, creating a hallmark painting style that comments broadly on sociopolitical issues, the impact of social media, and the ever-fluctuating values of contemporary culture. Bell, lauded as an “indiscriminate genre-blender” fuses abstract expressionism, geometric abstraction, pop art and many other artistic styles. He employs recurring images of iconic popular culture, snippets of news feeds, and social media references set against a brightly hued color palette, hard-edge, tense geometric lines and ethereal back drops.

Born (1967) in Canton, Ohio, John Bell lives and works in Salt Lake City, Utah. His work has been placed in many private collections throughout the U.S. and Europe He has exhibited in countless group and solo exhibitions, including Art Basel, Miami, New York’s Time Warner Center, Southern Nevada Museum of Art, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City, UT.

Bell’s work has been profiled in the national art magazine Blue Canvas (Los Angeles), a cover editorial in Seven Magazine (Las Vegas), entitled Beyond Pop; The man and message behind the paint. His work and mid century home have also been highlighted in the Los Angeles-based, lifestyle, and culture-centric 944 Magazine and in a cover article in Utah Style and Design. He has been hailed as an “artist on the rise” by Salt Lake Magazine. He has received numerous acknowledgments and reviews in NY Art World, Blackbook, City Weekly, Salt Lake City, Seven and Deseret Companion magazines as well as a host of online publications. He is represented by Mondo Fine Art, Salt Lake City, Brett Wesley Contemporary, Las Vegas, Cancio Contemporary, Miami/New York.

Exhibition History:

Museums, Fairs, Competitions & Commissions:
December 2010 – Aqua Art Fair, Art Basel, Cancio Contemporary, Miami, FL.
June 2010 - Contemporary Masters, sculpture commission artist-designed miniature golf, 337 Project & Salt Lake Art Center, Salt Lake City, UT.
December 09 - Aqua Art Fair, Art Basel, Cancio Contemporary, Miami, FL.
June 09 - The Urban Face Off, 337 Project, mural commission/competition, Salt Lake City.
May 09 - Spring Art Affair, regional juried exhibition, Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Art, Las Vegas, NV (curated by Elizabeth Herridge, Director, Guggenheim Hermitage Museum)
December 08 - The Artist Fair, Art Basel, Miami, FL
April 06 - Mural Commission, Time Warner Center, New York City, NY.

Collections Public:
June 2010 – Salt Lake County Government Center, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Collections Private:
Work throughout the United States & Europe.

Guest Lectures/Workshops:
March 2010 – Utah Museum of Fine Art, Foster Art Program, Salt Lake City, UT, presentation, discussion on work inspiration, and creation of new, original genre.
April 2010 – Salt Lake Community College, Salt Lake City, UT, presentation, discussion Q&A, on working process, work inspiration and creation of new, original genre.


Solo Exhibitions:
October 2010 – Would you like to become a fan?,Mondo Fine Art, Salt Lake City, UT
June 2010 – The Burden of Ambition, Brett Wesley Contemporary, Las Vegas, NV
July 09 – The Elegant Universe, Brett Wesley Contemporary, Las Vegas, NV
January 09 – Size Matters, Pop Shops, Salt Lake City, UT
June 08 – Survey, DDR Projects, Long Beach, CA
January 08 – THE SOUND & THE FURY, Utah Arts Alliance, Salt Lake City, UT
March 07 – BUILDING ICONS, Patrick Moore Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT
September 05 – (re) Defining Space, Time Warner Center, New York City, NY
April 05 – Defining Space, ONE Modern Art, Salt Lake City, UT
February 05 – 24 Hours, Artisan Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT
July 04 – Untitled, Evening Editions Press, Salt Lake City, UT
May 04 – Drinking, Dancing & Smoking with the Muse, Chroma Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT

Group Exhibitions:
August 2010 – Arin Contemporary, Laguna Beach, CA
April 2010 – Modern Values, Mondo Fine Art, at Lightspot Modern, Salt Lake City, UT
December 09 - Not Just Another Pretty Face, salon & holiday show, Salt Lake Art Center, Salt Lake City, UT.
December 09 - Small Works, juried show, Jill Dawsey, chief curator of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Kayo Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT.
November 09 – Snap To Grid, Los Angeles Center For Digital Art, Los Angeles, CA
June 09 – Not Just Another Pretty Face, gala & exhibition, Salt Lake Art Center, Salt Lake City, UT.
April 09 – The Truth of Abstraction, Patrick Moore Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT.
February 09 – Digital Art, Phillips Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT.
January 09 – Love and Power, Brett Wesley Contemporary, Las Vegas, NV
December 08 – Holiday Group Show, Phillips Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT.
December 08 – The Artist Fair, booth exhibition; Art Basel, Miami, FL.
October 08 – 5x5, Salt Lake Magazine’s, 5 On the Rise, Phillips Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT.
May 08 – Untitled, Utah Arts Council, Rio Grande Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT
February 08 – 3rd Annual SLCC President’s Art Show; Library Square Center, Salt Lake City, UT
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