Marcus Antonius Jansen

‘Urban Expressionism’
Marcus Antonius Jansen Bio

Marcus Antonius Jansen Gallery
Modern Urban-Expressionism
Ft. Myers Florida (U.S.A)
info@marcusjansen.com
www.marcusjansen.com

European Studio:
Jansen Collection
American Art Gallery
Modern Urban-Expressionism
14 Rue des Jardins St. Paul
75004 PARIS (France)

Marcus Antonius Jansen, a contemporary painter noted for his unique portrayal of urban city ‘scapes, depicted by vague abstractions, rugged old photo look-a-like images combined with forgotten Graffiti elements, refers to his paintings as "Modern Urban Expressionism." His work is typical for thick and chopped layers of crudely applied paint, bold colors and brushstrokes. Jansen sees his paintings as a tool for communication to bridge the gaps between modern and antique, contemporary and traditional, young and old, poor and rich, etc. all the while addressing and resolving pre-existing obstacles in the minds of our modern society.

Jansen's work is as diverse as his background. Being born in New York City and partly raised in Germany, he was greatly influenced by both cultures. He uses this unique experience to break traditional doctrines of painting by crossing different art movements and bringing together parts of the Old and the New World – Europe and America. Jansen's art reflects elements of German Expressionism as known since the early 1900s, American Abstract Expressionism from the 1950s as well as the strong and controversial
Graffiti art movement of New York City in the 1970s.

"It wasn't until I returned from the Gulf War in ‘91 after operation Desert Storm that I started having a more distorted perception on life and things around me. I was determined then to express this in what I do best... in art. I believe the lessons and experiences in a
combat zone were a great part of what has lead me to a heightened sense of awareness with things in the world. It forced me to question more. Before I knew it, out of chaos came creativity,” says this 37-year-old Gulf War Veteran, who studied the craft of painting in Europe.

Jansen has hit a nerve with private collectors and museums. He was commissioned and is collected by the Ford Motor Company and the Southwest Florida Museum of History as well as the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. He received top honors at the New York City ORB.E Art Competition in ‘99 with his painting "Subway82" sponsored by Russel Simmons and was awarded the Angels of the Arts Award New Artist of the Year of Lee County, Florida in ‘05. Jansen has recently shown alongside Robert Rauschenberg and other world-renowned artists residing in SW Florida at the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery in Fort Myers. The solely committed Jansen gallery is the American Art Gallery in Paris, France located in the famous Le Marais art district of the city, where the Galleries primary mission is to make a name for Jansen in Paris.

This first comprehensive Jansen book catalogues his most significant works over the past five years. It is an educational introduction of Jansen's modern urban version of expressionism to his growing global audience, who is diverse in age, culture and origin, ethnicity, as well as its economic background. This book is an enlightening tool, which helps bring sub-cultural and the often times neglected areas of our urban communities as well as their inhabitants closer to the public's eye and heart. The book is to be
released in ‘06.

The uniqueness of this catalogue is defined by the inimitability of Jansen's style and theme of work. "Many painters remove the imperfections in their works. I use them to reveal what we don't know or see. It's through imperfections that we learn." [Marcus Antonius Jansen, ’05.]

Jansen since then has appeared in numerous publications and media outlets, such as: Fox - 4 News. WINK TV, ABC 7, World of Arts Magazine, Art World News, Art Business News, NY Arts Magazine, China Arts and on the Cover of: Expressionism Magazine, Lifescapes Magazine, Sanibel Sun, River Weekly, WGCU Radio, The Source, Paint Magazine,The Florida Journal, Famous 100 Contemporary Artist's book, Best of Art and Artisians Book in the state of Florida ‘06, Atlanta Goodlife Magazine. Just to name a few.

Gulf Shorelife Magazine just named him one of twelve most important people to watch in SW Florida. His paintings are now in prestigious Galleries and Museums in New York, Paris, Los Angeles and more.

His work is available as original paintings as well as special limited editions at: www.marcusjansen.com.