Jonathan Hammer's art takes many forms, from his hand-tooled leather bound books to photographs, drawings and prints. The artist is as know for his revisionist dada theories as he is for his brilliant, epic creatures heavy with symbolism. Using a vocabulary of clowns, old toys and antiquated landscapes, Hammer's work embody the duality of themes including victim and victimizer, power and powerlessness, innocence and malevolence.

Originally from Chicago, Hammer lived in California after receiving a degree in bookbinding from the London College of Bookbinding. His work has been shown in galleries and museums in New York, California and throughout Europe and is in major private and public collections including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Berkeley Museum of Art and New York Public Library. Recently published by Yale Press is a book of Hammer's Dada theories accompanied with drawings from 'The Fantast' series. Currently living and working in Barcelona, Spain, Hammer has been exhibiting with the Rebecca Ibel Gallery since 1996.

1985

London College of Printing, London, United Kingdom.

1982

Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.

1979

University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.

2006

‘New work’, Rebecca Ibel Gallery, Columbus, Ohio.

Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, New York.

2005

‘I loved you once in April’, Galleri S. E Sandbrogt, Berlin, Germany.

2004

•'SCREENdoor’, Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, New York.
•Galeria Joan Prats, Barcelona, Spain.
•Gregory Lind Gallery, San Francisco, California.

2003

Paul Morris Gallery, New York, New York.

2002

•Galeria Fucares, Madrid, Spain.
•Rebecca Ibel Gallery, Columbus, Ohio.

2001

•Refusalon, San Francisco, California.
•Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, New York.

2000

•Galeria Fucares, Madrid, Spain.
•Miller Bloch Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts.

1999

•Lotta Hammer Gallery, London, United Kingdom.
•Rebecca Ibel Gallery, Columbus, Ohio.

1998

•Centre d’Art Contemporain, Geneva, Switzerland.

•San Francisco Art Institute, McBean Gallery, San Francisco, Califorina.

•Jennjoy Gallery, San Francisco, California.

•Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, New York.

1997

•Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, New York.

•Ibel Simeonov, Columbus, Ohio.

•Galerie Neu, Berlin, Germany.

1996

•Galerie Peter Kilchmann, Zurich, Germany.

•Allez les Filles, Columbus, Ohio.

1994

Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, New York.

1993

•Daniel Buchholz Gallery, Cologne, Germany.

•Berkeley Art Museum, University of California, Berkeley, California.

1992

Shea & Bornstein Gallery, Los Angeles, California.

2004

‘Arte Termite contra Elephante blanco’, ICO Foundation, Madrid, Spain. (catalogue)

2003

•‘Ninos’, Cenro D'Artee Contemporaneio, Salamanca, Spain. (catalogue)

•‘Ten Years After’,Rebecca Ibel Gallery, Columbus, Ohio.
•‘Group Exhibition’, Grimm, Rosenfeld Gallery, Munich, Germany

2001

•‘Group Exhibition’, Gallery Fucares, Almagro, Spain.

•‘Tenth Anniversary Exhibition, 100 Drawings and Photographs’, Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, New York. (catalogue)

2000

•‘Foundation for Contemporary Performing Arts Benefit Exhibition: Drawings and Photographs’, Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, New York.

•‘2000 Clowns’, University Galleries, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois.
•‘Back Room’, Jennjoy Gallery, San Francisco, California
• ‘[Climax]’,Jennjoy Gallery, San Francisco, California.
• ‘Waiting’, Mjellby Konstgård, Halmstad, Sweden. (catalogue)
• ‘Sentimental Education’, Deitch Projects, New York, New York.

1999

•‘Draw’, Ten in One Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.

•‘Group Exhibition’, Matthew Marks Gallery, New York, New York.
•‘Reflet des relieure contemporain’, Bibliotheque de Reims, France. (catalogue)
•‘The Salon of 1999: Friends and Enemies’, Deitch Projects, New York, New York.

1998

•‘Collect if Generations’, Centre d’Art, Nimes, France.

•‘Matrix/Berkeley: 20 years’, Berkeley Art Museum, University of California,
Berkeley, California. (catalogue)
•‘Portrait/Human Figure’,Galerie Peter Kilchmann, Zurich, Germany.
•‘Around the Bay’, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California.

1997

•‘New Work: Drawings Today’, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California.

•‘Group Show’, Ibel Simeonov Gallery, Columbus, Ohio.
•‘La tentation du livre’, Espace Culturel de Tinqueux, Tinqueux, France.
•‘Bookbinding and Design’, Dutch National Library, The Hague, Netherlands.
•‘Bay Area Now’, Center for the Arts, Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco, California. (catalogue)
•‘Woven in Oaxaca’, A/D Gallery, New York, New York.

1995

•‘25th Anniversary Exhibition’, Berkeley Art Museum, University of California, Berkeley, California.

•‘Into a New Museum: Recent Gifts and Acquisitions of Contemporary Art’,San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California.
•‘Artist/Book’, City College of San Francisco, California.
•‘In a Different Light’, Berkeley Art Museum, University of California, Berkeley, California. (catalogue)

1993

•‘Cadavre Exquis’, The Drawing Center, New York, New York.
• ‘Sick Joke,’ Kiki, San Francisco, California.

1992

•‘Helter Skelter: LA Art in the 90s,’Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California. (catalogue)
• ‘Leonora Carrington Retrospective’, Mexican Museum, San Francisco, California.

1991

•‘Collectif Generation’, Center for the Book Arts, New York, New York.
• ‘Collectif Generation’,Beverly Hills Library, Beverly Hills, California.
• ‘The Regilded Age’, Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey. (catalogue)
• ‘Artists’ Books’, Lorence/Monk Gallery, New York, New York.

• ‘Contemporary American Bookbinding,’ Bibliotheque de l’Arsenal, Paris; •Traveledto the Grolier Club, New York, New York; and Bibliotecka Wittokania, Brussels. (catalogue)

2005

El Mundo, Javier Hontoria.
Bergens Tidende, Bodil Garvik.

2004

El Pais, Olga Spiegel.
La Vanguardia, Angela Molina.

2002

Ball and Hammer, Yale University Press.

2000

‘Sentimental Education’, exhibiton mention, The New Yorker, July 10.

1999

‘Our Choice of London Contemporary Galleries’, The Art Newspaper, May.

1998

Exhibition Mention, The New Yorker, October 19.
Newhall, Edith. ‘Jonathan Hammer’, New York Magazine’, September 14.

1997

Koeninger, Kay. ‘Hammer’s Fantast Series Takes Inspiration From Dada’, The Columbus Dispatch, Sunday, November 2.

Bonetti, David. ‘Bay Area Now: The Young at Art’, San Francisco Examiner, June 18, p.C-4 ( illus.).
‘Jonathan Hammer A+’, Gallegiate Report Card, Coagula, May.
‘Jonathan Hammer’, The New Yorker, March 10, pp. 20-21.

1996

Maurer, Simon. ‘Joseph Cornell, Jonathan Hmamer’, Zuritip, August 23.

Hall, Jacqueline. Exhibition review, The Columbus Dispatch, March 10.

1995

Kenning, David. ‘Making Artists’ Books, ‘Printmaking Today, Autumn.
Princenthal, Nancy. ‘Jonathan Hammer at Matthew Marks’, Art in America, May.
Ziolkowski, Thad. ‘Jonathan Hammer’, ARTFORUM, February, p. 91.

1994

‘Bound and Determined’, The New Yorker, October 24.

1993

‘Kunst im Karton: Jonathan Hammer’, Koelner Stadtanzeiger, May 13.
‘Welt Zwischen Buchdeckein’, Koelner Rundshcau, May 8.
‘Jonathan Hammer’, Nikkei Image Climate Forecast, Tokyo, Japan, October.
Hirsch, Fay. ‘The Generous Mr. Hammer’, Print Collector’s Newletter, September- October.
Rinder, Larry. ‘Jonathan Hammer’, Matrix/Berkeley Publication 156, University Art Museum, February-April.
Watten, Barret. ‘Jonathan Hammer at UAM Berkeley’, Artweek, April 8, p.36.
Hershenson, Karen. ‘Craftsman’s Vision Sires Ties the Bind Art’, Contra Costa Times, April 2, p. 27.
Bonetti, David. ‘Fresh Readings on Relationships’, SanFrancisco Examiner, February 19, p. D-3.

1992

Cameron, Dan. ‘Sweet Thing’, ARTFORUM. December, P.52 (illus.).

Parsons, Barbara. ‘Jonathan Hammer Books’, Visions Magazine, September.
Minton, Torri. ‘Bookbinders War Against Tradition’, San Francisco Chronicle, January 22.
Helfand, Glen. ‘Bound to be Noticed’, SF Magazine, January.
Frank, Peter. ‘Larry Rivers, Lawrence Weiner, Jonathan Hammer Books’, LA Weekly, January 10.

1991

‘Contemporary American Bookbinding’, Art et Metier du Livre, December-January.