BIO
Matt Duffin was born in 1968 and grew up in Houston, Texas. He received his Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Houston. He never practiced as an architect, choosing instead to become an artist. Through art, he found that he could easily combine his tendency toward right angles and perspective drawing with the more human themes of solitude and irony. Over time, his medium has evolved from charcoal to encaustic wax, but he continues to dwell in the realm of dark recesses and stark contrasts.
Over the years, Duffin’s work has received noteworthy critical recognition from several museum curators and private collectors of national acclaim including: Tracy Bashkoff, Associate Curator for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York; Michael Govan, Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); Lynda and Stewart Resnick of the Roll International Corporation Collection and the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Pavilion of LACMA; Carlie Wilmans, director of the Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation and granddaughter of the late San Francisco arts benefactor Phyllis Wattis; Eleanor Notides, Senior Vice President of Christie’s in New York; and Mort and Marcy Friedman, principal benefactors and campaign co-chair (Marcy) of the 2010 expansion of the Crocker Art Museum. His work has been included in other notable collections as well: the Progressive Art Collection, the Howard Tullman Collection of Contemporary Art, and the Crocker Art Museum.
Duffin has had solo exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Houston. Additionally, his work has been shown at the Bakersfield Museum of Art, The Crocker Art Museum, The University of North Texas and at galleries and fairs nationwide including Art Chicago, The Dallas Art Fair, Flow-Miami, The Houston Fine Art Fair, The LA Art Show, The Palm Springs Art Fair, The Seattle Art Fair and Scope New York.
His work has appeared in Artnews, Elephant Magazine (London), The Morning News, The New York Times Magazine (as illustrations), The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Sacramento Bee, Communication Arts Illustration Annual, American Illustration, and Zyzzyva. In 2013, he provided cover art for National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist Jonathan Franzen’s book, Farther Away (Weiter Weg– German edition), published by Rowohlt. In 2016, Duffin contributed 6 pieces, including the cover image, to a New York Times Magazine article (a standalone excerpt from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Underground Railroad). Most recently, Duffin created the cover image for the NYTimes bestselling book, The Labyrinth of the Spirits, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
Duffin currently splits time between Barcelona, Spain and Guadalajara, Mexico with his wife, adult children and Jupi, the beloved family pug.
RESUME
SOLO & TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
Arden Gallery, Boston, MA, October 2018 (solo)
Koelsch Haus, Houston, TX, October 2016 (solo)
Arden Gallery, Boston, MA, October 2014 (solo)
Koelsch Gallery, Houston, TX, December 2012 (solo)
Giddy Up, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, March 2012 (solo)
Matt Duffin and John Stockwell, Arden Gallery, Boston, MA, February 2012 (two-person)
New Works, Arden Gallery, Boston, MA, May 2011 (solo)
Koelsch Gallery, Houston, TX., June 2010 (solo)
Nightshift, Garson Baker Fine Art, New York, NY, October 2008 (solo)
Koelsch Gallery, Houston, TX, November 2007 (solo)
Waiting for Green, Nelson Macker Fine Art, Port Chester, NY, May 2007 (solo)
Life in Shadows, Julie Baker Fine Art, Nevada City, CA, September 2005 (two-person)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
35th Anniversary Exhibition, Stewart Gallery, Boise, ID, November 2022
Blab! Show: 17th Annual Group Exhibition, Copro Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA, October 2022
Winter Group Exhibition, Stewart Gallery, Boise, ID, November 2022
Kronos Art Bcn, Barcelona, Spain, October 2020
Blab! Show: 14th Annual Group Exhibition, Copro Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA, October 2019
Seattle Art Fair, Steward Gallery, Seattle, WA, August 2018
Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, J. Willott Gallery, Palm Springs, CA, February 2016
Art Auction, Crocker Art Museum, June 2016
Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, J. Willott Gallery, Palm Springs, CA, February 2016
Annual Winter Exhibition, Stewart Gallery, Boise, ID, December 2015
Art Auction, Crocker Art Museum, June 2015
Marking a Course, University of North Texas, February 2014 (3-person show)
New Work, Arden Gallery, Boston, MA, February 2014
Art Auction, Crocker Museum, May 2013
The Dallas Art Fair, Stewart Gallery, Boise, ID, April 2013
SOFA, ten472 Contemporary Art, November 2012
The Houston Fine Art Fair, ten472 Contemporary Art, September 2012
The San Francisco Fine Art Fair, ten472 Contemporary Art (Nevada City, CA), George Billis Gallery (Los Angeles, CA), May 2012
The Dallas Art Fair, Stewart Gallery, Boise, ID, April 2012
Obsolescence, Stewart Gallery, Boise, ID, November 2011
Dodransbicentennial, Koelsch Gallery, Houston, TX, March 2011
Small Works, Koelsch Gallery, Houston, TX, December 2010
The Dallas Art Fair, Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA, February 2010
Art of Play, Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, CA, December 2009
??st Annual Small Works Show, The Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, December 2009
Metropolitan Home Magazine’s Modern by Design, Steven Miller Design Studios (Courtesy Dolby Chadwick Gallery), San Francisco, CA, August 2009
Annual New Talent Show, The Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, July 2009
Figurations 2, Nuart Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, July 2009
Valentine Show, Evan Lurie Gallery, Carmel, IN, February 2009
The LA Art Show, Julie Baker Fine Art, Santa Monica, CA, January 2009
SOFA: Chicago, Julie Baker Fine Art, Chicago, IL, November 2008
Small Wonders, Garson Fine Art, NY, NY, June 2008
Melt My Art: Encaustic Expressions, Bakersfield Museum of Art, Bakersfield, CA, May 2008
The LA Art Show, Julie Baker Fine Art, Santa Monica, CA, January 2008
Flow – Miami Invitational Art Fair, Julie Baker Fine Art, Miami, FL, December 2007
Tease, Garson Fine Art, New York, NY, September 2007
Art Chicago, Julie Baker Fine Art, Chicago, IL, April 2007
Get Real, The Gallery at R&F, Kingston, NY, April 2007
Los Angeles Art Show, Julie Baker Fine Art, Santa Monica, CA, January 2007
Flow – Miami Invitational Art Fair, Julie Baker Fine Art, Miami, FL, December 2007
Homegrown, Julie Baker Fine Art, Nevada City, CA, November 2006
Art Chicago, Julie Baker Fine Art, Chicago, Ill, May 2006
Los Angeles Art Show, Julie Baker Fine Art, Santa Monica, CA, January 2006
AAF Contemporary Art Fair, Julie Baker Fine Art, Pier 92, New York, NY, November 2005
Shade, Koelsch Gallery, Houston, TX, May 2005
San Francisco International Art Exposition, Julie Baker Fine Art, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA, January 2005
Scope, Los Angeles, Julie Baker Fine Art, Grass Valley, CA, May 2004
Art Chicago, Julie Baker Fine Art, Grass Valley, CA, May 2004
Scope, New York, Julie Baker Fine Art, Grass Valley, CA, March 2004
Unframed, Koelsch Gallery, Houston, TX, February 2004
The San Francisco International Art Exposition, Julie Baker Fine Art, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA, January 2004
Good Things Come in Small Packages, Julie Baker Fine Art, Grass Valley, CA, December 2003
Encaustic Works ’03: Fourth International Biennal Exhibition, The Marist College Art Gallery, Poughkeepsie, NY. (Juror: Tracy Bashkoff, Associate Curator for Collections and Exhibitions, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY), October 2003
The Affordable Art Fair, Julie Baker Fine Art, Pier 92, New York, NY, October 2003
20th Annual National Juried Exhibition: Works on Paper, The Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA. (Juror: Marion Parmenter, Executive Director, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artists Gallery), August 2003
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Progressive Corporation
Roll International Corporation
The Crocker Art Museum
Carlie Wilmans, San Francisco, CA
Ellanor Notides, San Francisco, CA
Mort and Marcy Friedman, Sacramento, CA
Rick Smith, Houston, TX
PUBLICATIONS
AI39, American Illustration-American Photography, NY, NY, November 2020
AI38, American Illustration-American Photography, NY, NY, November 2018
Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Labyrinth of the Spirits (NYTimes bestseller, cover), NY, NY: HarperCollins, 2018
AI37, American Illustration-American Photography, NY, NY, November 2018
Illustration Annual #64, San Francisco: Communication Arts, 2018, illus.
AI36, American Illustration-American Photography, NY, NY, November 2017
Whitehead, Colson, “There Was No Other Way (excerpt from The Underground Railroad),” The New York Times Magazine, 2016, (Cover image, multiple interior illus.)
Illustration Annual #57, San Francisco: Communication Arts, 2011, illus.
3×3, The Magazine of Contemporary Illustration, NY, NY, Winter 2015
AI33, American Illustration-American Photography, NY, NY, November 2014
AI32, American Illustration-American Photography, NY, NY, November 2013
Studio Visit Magazine Vol. 21 (Cover Image), Boston: Open Studios Press Spring 2011
Franzen, Jonathan, Weiter Weg, Essays (Farther Away) (Cover Image), Berlin: Rowohlt, 2013,
Illustration Annual #53, San Francisco: Communication Arts, 2012, illus.
The Adirondack Review, An Arts and Literature Quarterly, Vol XII No.4, 2012, illus.
UCLA Magazine (Cover Image), January, 2012
Dessanay, Margherita, “Sunny Spaces, Dark Places,” Elephant Magazine, Issue #7, 2011: pp. 48-53 ,illus.
Illustration Annual #52, San Francisco: Communication Arts, 2011, illus.
Studio Visit Magazine Vol. 14, Boston: Open Studios Press Spring 2011, illus., (Juror: Beth Vann. Senior Curator of American Art, Newark Museum)
Wilson, Rainn, Soulpancake: Chew on Life’s Bigger Questions, New York: Hyperion, 2010, illus.
Bruno, Franklin, “Modern City, Modern Writer: Donald Barthelme’s Houston,” The Oxford American 66Fall 2009: p. 97, illus.
Donohoe, Victoria, “New Talent,” The Philadelphia Inquirer Weekend17 July, 2009: p.1
Promotional Brochure, The LA Art Show, October 2009, Illus.
Baldwin, Rosecrans,”Wax Figures,” The Morning News. 24 Nov. 2008. <http://www.themorningnews.org/gallery/wax-figures>
Taylor, Alex, “Reviews: New York: ‘Small Wonders’,” Artnews Volume107 No. 9 October 2008: p. 165
Studio Visit Magazine Vol. 4, Boston: Open Studios Press, 2008, Illus., (Juror: Carl Belz, Director Emeritus of the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University)
Syfers, Jim, Hotel Mulberry (Cover Image), Sonoma: Apple Pie Press, 2007
Turner, Cherie Louise, “Reviews: National: Nevada City,” Artnews Vol. 106, No. 3 March 2007: pp. 150-151, illus.
Dalkey,Victoria, “Mining a New Vein,” Sacramento Bee Weekend Ticket 17 Nov. 2006: p. 12, illus.
Dusharme, Laurien, “Life in Shadows,” NY Arts Magazine Vol. 11, Nos. 3/4 March/April, 2006: pp. 16-17, Illus.
Waters, Joan, “Emerging Artists,” Sacramento Magazine March 2006: p. 136, illus.
Dalkey, Victoria, Critic’s Pick, The Sacramento Bee Sunday Ticket 20 February, 2005: p. 15, illus.
Dusharme, Laurien, “Night Moods: New Paintings by Matt Duffin,” Art Contemporaries: A Publication of The Museum of Contemporary Art at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts Winter 2005: pp. 16-17, illus.
“City events: 6th annual San Francisco International Art Exposition,” SF Station. Jan. 2004, illus.
Feineman, Carol, “Grass Valley-based artist receives national acclaim,” The Union, The Prospector 1 Jan. 2004, illus.
Zyzzyva (Cover Image), XlX, 2, Fall 2003
Cassai, Mary, “Marist gallery exhibit validates encaustic process,” Daily Freeman 14 Nov. 2003: illus.
Smart, Paul, “Encaustic comments: two Poughkeepsie shows highlight hot new/old medium,” Woodstock Times 13 Nov. 2003: illus.
Edwards, Nicole, “Multi-layering of colors, textures make encaustic works bloom,” The Poughkeepsie Journal, 7 Nov. 2003,: illus.
Taylor, Robert, “Recent works capture artists¹ somber moods,” The Contra-Costa Times, 15 Aug. 2003
AWARDS
Competition Winner, American Illustration, NY, NY, May 2020
Gold Award, Illustration West 57, Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, 2019
Competition Winner, American Illustration, NY, NY, May 2019
Competition Winner, American Illustration, NY, NY, May 2018
Competition Winner, American Illustration, NY, NY, May 2017
Competition Winner, American Illustration, NY, NY, May 2016 (Jurors: Matt Dorfman, Art Director, The New York Times Book Review; Marlene Szczesny, Art Director, The Wall Street Journal)
Award of Excellence, Communication Arts, May 2016
Silver Award/Book Covers, 3×3, The Magazine of Contemporary Illustration, NY, NY, June 2014
Merit Award/Books, 3×3, The Magazine of Contemporary Illustration, NY, NY, June 2014
Competition Winner, American Illustration, NY, NY, May 2014 (Jurors: Chris Dixon, Design Director, Vanity Fair; Marti Golon, Art Director, Reader’s Digest; Peter Morance, Art Director, The New York Times, Science)
Competition Winner, American Illustration, NY, NY, May 2013 (Jurors: Jordan Awan, The New Yorker; Sergio Baradat, United Nations Postal Administration; Alexandra Zsigmond, The New York Times)
Award of Excellence, Communication Arts, May 2012 (Jurors: Paul Gonzales, LA Times; Jill Breitbarth, Harvard University Press)
Award of Excellence, Communication Arts, May 2011 (Jurors: Nicholas Blechman, New York Times Book Review; Ann Field, Art Center College of Design)
Juror’s Award, Juror: Marion Parmenter, 20th Annual National Juried Exhibition: Works on Paper, The Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley, CA, August 2003
Director’s Award, Exhibit Director: Laura Moriarty, Encaustic Works ’03: Fourth International Bienniel Exhibition, The Marist College Art Gallery, Poughkeepsie, NY, December 2003
VISITING ARTIST/LECTURE EXPERIENCE
University of North Texas, February 2014 (in conjunction with “Marking a Course,” a 3-person exhibit at UNT Gallery)
EDUCATION
B.S. Architecture, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 1991