Born 1971 in Seville, Spain
Lives and works in Puerto Rico
Education
2002
MFA, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, US
1998
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL, US
1995
MA, University of Wisconsin School of Law, Madison, WI, US
1994
BA, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, US
Solo and Duo Exhibitions
2025
'MADRIYAL', Almine Rech, Monaco (forthcoming)
'Domestic in a Foreign Sense', Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison, WI, US
'Bayamonesque', Nino Mier Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
'diez-gracias', DiabloRosso, Panama City, Panama
2024
'Relator con Amargura', The Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico (MAPR), San Juan, Puerto Rico
José Lerma, Pace Prints, New York, NY, US
2023
'Fichureos', Almine Rech, Paris, Turenne, France
'Guerras Tibias', Almine Rech, London, UK
'A Trazos', Nino Mier Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, US
2022
Quieto, Quietud, Quietudes, Almine Rech, Shanghai, China
2021
'Ut Queant Laxis', Nino Mier Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, US
2020
'The Figure in Solitude', Kavi Gupta, Chicago, IL, US
2019
'José Lerma', Galería Leyendecker, Islas Canarias, Spain
2018
'José Lerma – Io e Io', Diablo Rosso, Panama City, Panama
2017
'Nunquam Prandium Liberum', Kavi Gupta, Chicago, IL, US
'The Last Upper', Brand New Gallery, Milan, Italy
2016
'La Venida Cansa Sin Ti', Kemper Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, US
'Huevolution', Halsey McKay Gallery, East Hampton, NY, US
'Josh Reames and José Lerma', Luis de Jesus, Los Angeles, CA, US
2014
'La Bella Crisis', Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit, MI, US
'Gloriosa Superba', Kavi Gupta Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL, US
'Guaynabichean Odyssey', David Castillo Gallery, Miami, FL, US
'The Unitedstatian', Van Horn Gallery, Düsseldorf, Germany
'Los Turistas', Diablo Rosso, Panama
'European Mixed Masters', Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, NY, US
'Robusto Parasite', Roberto Paradise, San Juan, PR
'José Lerma and Josh Smith', Oliver Francis Gallery, Dallas, TX, US
2013
'José Lerma', Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL, US
2012
'The Credentialist', Museum of Contemporary Art, Raleigh, NC, US
'José Lerma and Eddie Martinez', Halsey McKay Gallery, East Hampton, NY, US
'Jibaro Jizz', Roberto Paradise Gallery, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2011
'The Lightweight', Western Exhibitions, Chicago, IL, US
2010
'I am Sorry I am Perry', Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, NY, US
'Spanish Revival', Galeria Marta Cervera, Madrid, Spain
2009
'El Pendejo', Galerie Loock, Berlin, Germany
'José Lerma', Green Gallery, Milwaukee, WI, US
2007
'José Lerma: Paintings', Arario Gallery, Seoul, Korea
'José Lerma: New Prints', Marty Walker Gallery, Dallas, TX, US
2006
'The Golden Sea', Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, NY, US
2005
'José Lerma', Xavier Hufkens Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
'José Lerma', Galeria Il Capricorno, Venice, Italy
2004
'Folklore of Our Times', Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, NY, US
'American Violence: José Lerma and Peter Saul', Glandier & Byrne, Paris, France
2003
'Two Beats Off', Southfirst Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, US
'As if Accepting Defeat', Galería Comercial, Santurce, PR
'Please, Don’t Distort What We Had: José Lerma and Scott Roberts', 7/3 Split Gallery, Chicago, IL, US
'José Lerma and Anne Schaacte', 1R Gallery, Chicago, IL, US
2002
'Lives of the Obscure', Southfirst Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, US
Group Exhibitions
2025
'X Factor: Latinx Artists and the Reconquest of the Everyday', curated by Christian Viveros-Fauné, USF Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa, FL, US
2024
'Visages', Almine Rech, New York, NY, US
'Entre horizontes: Art and Activism Between Chicago and Puerto Rico', curated by Carla Acevedo Yates, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Chicago, IL, US
'Beach', curated by Danny Moynihan, Nino Mier Gallery, New York, NY, US
2023
'La Buena Pintura', Fundación Mapfre, Gran Canaria, Spain
'We Didn’t Ask Permission', Mishkin Gallery, Baruch College, New York, NY, US
'Picasso: 50 Years Later', Elmhurst Museum of Art, Chicago, IL, US
2022
'We didn’t Ask Permission', Contemporary Art Museum St Louis, MO, US
'Let's get Metaphysical', Galería Yusto Giner, Marbella, Spain
'Hooking Up: Meet the Collection', Cleve Carney Museum of Art, Chicago, IL, US
'Seeking Knowledge', Frost Art Museum, Miami, FL, US
'LatinXAmerican', Lubeznik Art Center, Michigan City, IN, US
2021
'SURFACES', Nino Mier Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, US'Salon de Peinture', Almine Rech, New York, NY, US
'LatinXAmerican', DePaul Art Museum, Chicago, IL, US
'Shape of an Image', Woaw Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
'Spirits in the Material World', Halsey Mckay Gallery East Hampton, NY, US
2020
'The Figure in Solitude', online exhibition, Kavi Gupta, Chicago, IL, US
2019
'With a Capital P: Selections by Six Painters', Elmhurst Art Museum, Elmhurst, IL, US
'Your Favorite Artist’s Favorite Artist II', Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY, US
2017
'Keep The Lights On', Diablo Rosso, Panama City, Panama
'Likeness', Jessica Silverman Gallery, San Francisco, CA, US
'In Paper We Trust', The Dot Project, London, UK
'American Genre: Contemporary Painting', Maine College of Art, Portland, ME, US
'Fake News', River, Los Angeles, CA, US
2016
'Imagine', Brand New Gallery, Milan, Italy
'The Aging Coconut', Roberto Paradise, San Juan, Puerto Rico
'Terricolas', Art Lab, Santurce, Puerto Rico
'McArthur Binion: José Lerma, Angel Otero, Clare Rojas, Jessica Stockholder, and Tony Tasset', Kavi Gupta, Chicago, IL, US
'Objects In The Rearview Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear', Diablo Rosso Gallery, Panama City, Panama
2015
'Condensed Matter Community', Synchrotron Radiation Center, Stoughton, WI, US
'Winter Solstice / Little Sun', James Barron Art, Kent, CT, US
2014
'Eric’s Trip', Lisa Cooley Gallery, New York, NY, US
'Pangaea', Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
'Renuncias y Adopciones', Instituto de Cultura Puertorriquena, San Juan, PR Dallas Biennial, curated by Cynthia Daignault and Mark Loiacono, Dallas, TX, US Head, Western Exhibitions, Chicago, IL, US
'More Than a Likeness', McClain Gallery, Houston, TX, US
2013
'Paper', Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
'The System of Objects', Deste Foundation, Athens, Greece
'19516 Kilometers from Milwaukee', Misako & Rosen, Tokyo, JP
'On Painting', Centro Atlantico de Arte Moderno, Gran Palma, Canarias, ES
'Cabinet of Threads', Galerie Van Horn, Düsseldorf, DE
'Tandem Press: 25 Years', Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, US
'Impresiones, Relieves y Resonacias', University of Puerto Rico, Cayey, PR
'Swamp', Edgar Alan Poe Park Center, Bronx, NY, US
'O te Peinas o te Haces Rolos', La Productora, Santurce, PR
'Pushing It; Innovative Approaches in Printmaking', Dean Jensen Gallery, Milwaukee, WI, US
2012
'Roberto Paradise', Josh Lilley Gallery, London, UK
'Pasiones Contemporaneas', Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce, PR
'The Way In', Popular Center, San Juan, PR
'Someone Else’s Dream', Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL, US
'Idealizing the Imaginary', Oakland University Art Museum, Rochester, MI, US
'Chiquitolina', curated by Jorge Roman, La Quince, San Juan, PR
'Tandem Press: 25 Years', Chazen Musuem of Art, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, US
'Michelle Grabner': The Inova Survey, Inova, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, US
'Where My Cones At?', Double Break, San Diego, CA, US
'Raw Ille', curated by Liz Markus, Fine Arts Amagansett, Amagansett, NY, US
'Material Breach', Art Amalgamated, New York, NY, US
2011
'Unfinished Paintings', Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA, US
'Go Figure', curated by Eddie Martinez, Dodge Gallery, New York, NY, US
'Green Gallery at 47 Canal', 47 Canal, New York, NY, US
'Irritable Abstraction', Julius Caesar, Chicago, IL, US
'Handler', curated by John Riepenhoff, Western Exhibitions, Chicago, IL, US
'Painting…Expanded', curated by Marisol Nieves, Espacio 1414 Santurce, Puerto Rico
'Dirt Don’t Hurt', curated by Bill Saylor, Jolie Laide, Philadelphia, PA, US
'Espacio Entre Medio', Chemi’s Room, San Juan, Puerto Rico
'1ra Bienal Tropical', curated by Pablo Leon De la Barra, Loiza, Puerto Rico
'To Tell the Truth', Monya Rowe Gallery, New York, NY, US
'De Bayamon a La 15', Cart Wash, Santurce, Puerto Rico
2010
'Lush Life', Lehman Maupin Gallery, New York, NY, US
'Don’t Piss on my Leg and Tell me it’s Raining', Apex Art, New York, NY, US
'Museos Portatiles', Parking 01 Can Xalant, Contemporary Center, Barcelona, ES
'One for all', curated by Jessica Halonen, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX, US
'From NY with Love', curated by Glorimarta Linares, Don’t Projects, Paris, France
'The Mobile Uploads', curated by Amanda Schmitt, Sloane, New York, NY, US
'Go Figure', The Hogar Collection, Brooklyn, NY, US
'The Power of Selection III', Western Exhibitions, Chicago IL, US
'One Degree', Middlesex College, Edison, NJ, US
2009
'Submerging Artists', Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, Germany,
'Wallgasm', curated by John Riepenhoff, Angstrom Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, US
'From New York with Love', Candela Gallery, San Juan, Puerto Rico
'Rattled by the Rush', Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Chicago, IL, US
'Objet Petit A', with Crisitina Tufino, Spoke, Chicago, IL, US
'Good News', Porter Butts Gallery University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, US
'Cadaver Corpse', curated by Tessa Perutz, Space 1028, Chicago, IL, US
2008
'Learning by Doing', Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston, TX, US
'Works from the Permanent Collection', Milwaukee Art Museum, WI, US
'En Sus Marcas', Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Puerto Rico
'NY Motion 1.0', Instituto Cervantes, New York, NY, US
'Alogon', curated by Gaylen Gerber, Alogon Gallery, Chicago, IL, US
'Ice Cream Show', Loyal Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
'Selected Works', Southfirst Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, US
'It’s Not What You Know', It’s Who You Know, with Neutral Capital Collection, Samson Projects, Boston, MA, US
2007
'The S Files', curated by Elvis Fuentes, Museo del Barrio, New York, NY, US
'STUFF', Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Collection of Burt Aron, Detroit, MI, US
'Colección Valencia Arte Contemporaneo', Institute Valencia d’art Modern, ES
'Cerca Series', with Neutral Capital Collection, Lui Velazquez Gallery, Tijuana, Mexico
'Someday Never Comes', Ziehersmith Gallery, New York, NY, US
'New Labor', with Neutral Capital Collection, Leroi Neiman Gallery, Columbia University, New York, NY, US
'Cerca Series', with Neutral Capital Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, San Diego, CA, US
'Second Annual Dining Room Show', sponsored by Andrea Rosen Gallery, Amaganssett, NY, US
'Passport to the Arts', sponsored by The New Yorker, The Xchange, New York, NY, US
2006
'Farewell to Icon', Anna Helwing Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, US
'Panic Room', curated by Jeffrey Deitch & Kathy Grayson, DESTE Foundation, Athens, Greece
'Constant Disturbance', Centro Cultural Español, Miami, FL, US
'Exposición de Apertura', Espacio 1414, Santurce, Puerto Rico
'Fresh', Renaissance Society, Chicago, IL, US
'The Lovers', in collaboration with Jesus Bubu Negron, Canada Gallery, New York, NY, US
'2x2', Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX, US
2005
'Curvaceous', Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, NY, US
'Alice Neel Project', Robert Miller Gallery, New York, NY, US Monster 'Painting', Mclain Gallery, Houston, TX, US
'CORE', Glassell School of Arts, Houston, TX, US
2004
'Sadie Hawkins Dance', Southfirst Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, US
'Summer Drawings Some Are Not', curated by Lisa Cooley, Mixture
'Contemporary Art', Houston, TX, US
'CORE', Glassell School of Arts, Houston, TX, US
2003
'Dinosaurs', Los Medanos College, Oakland, CA, US
'Ensayo', Galeria Comercial, San Juan, Puerto Rico
'Lives of the Obscure', Southfirst Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, US
'No Pasa Un Dia...', EX-Teresa Arte Actual, Mexico City, Mexico
2002
'PR02 [En Ruta]', M&M Proyectos, San Juan, Puerto Rico
2001
'Teeter-Totter', HUB Gallery, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, US
'Catapult', Whatcom Museum of Art, Bellingham, WA, US
'Artists of the New Millennium', Rockford Museum of Art, Rockford, IL, US
1999
'Triennial', Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, WI, US
'Secrets about Goo', Commonwealth Gallery, Madison, WI, US
Awards and Honors
2023
Honoree at the Hirshhorn Museum, Smithsonian, New York Gala "Artist x Artist"
2013
International Association of Art Critics, Best Gallery Show of 2012, Puerto Rico
2004
Eliza Randall Prize, Houston, TX, US
2003
Skowhegan Fellowship, Maine, US
1999
AOF Fellowship, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, US
1998
Samson Fellowship, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, US
Public Collections
Contemporary Art Foundation, Tokyo, Japan
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, US
Saatchi Collection, London, UK
Museum of Fine Arts Houston, TX, US
Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI, US
Chazen Museum of Art, Madison, WI
Arario Collection, Seoul, South Korea
Aby Rosen, New York, NY, US
Phillip Isles, New York, NY, US
Dakkis Joannou, Athens, Greece
Fidelity Investments, New York, NY, US
Colección VAC, Valencia, Spain
A. De la Cruz Collection, Puerto Rico
Phillara Collection, Düsseldorf, Germany
Colección Berezdivin, Santurce, Puerto Rico
Colección Cesar y Mima Reyes, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Berezdivin Collection, San Juan, Puerto Rico
