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About

In his luminous and emotionally complex paintings, Kyle Dunn (b. 1990) depicts scenes of isolation and romantic connection in a modern world where the barrier between public and private life is increasingly porous. The composite figures in his work are often caught in moments of solitude or interior self-reflection, offering at first glance scenes of domestic intimacy. Dueling elements of the theatrical and the mundane complicate the lines separating perception and projection. The emotional tenor of the scenes is heightened by a pervasive liquid eroticism and theatrical lighting, only to be undercut with moments of careful observation and quiet humor. Dunn’s work mines the tension created between this cinematic drama and personal introspection to explore the fraught relationship between artist and subject, between one lover and another, and between individual and society.

Kyle Dunn lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, and received his BFA in Interdisciplinary Sculpture from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD.

His work has been included in exhibitions at P·P·O·W, New York, NY; Marlborough Gallery, London, UK; GRIMM, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Maria Bernheim, Zurich, Switzerland; and Galerie Judin, Berlin, Germany; among others.

His work is in the collections of the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX; the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL; the Sunpride Foundation, Kowloon, Hong Kong; and X Museum, Beijing, China. In 2022, his work was exhibited at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL, in Fire Figure Fantasy: Selections from ICA Miami’s Collection. Dunn has been featured in various publications including The New York Times, AnOther Magazine, W Magazine, and Juxtapoz among others. Dunn’s first institutional solo exhibition, Kyle Dunn / MATRIX 194, at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT, was on view in Summer 2024.

Selected Works

This image depicts an artwork by Kyle Dunn titled "Devil in the Daytime." This artwork was created in 2024 and measures 56" x 45" [HxW] (142.24 x 114.3 cm). Its medium is Acrylic on wood panel.
Kyle Dunn
“Devil in the Daytime,” 2024
This image depicts an artwork by Kyle Dunn titled "Siesta." This artwork was created in 2024 and measures 55" x 67" [HxW] (139.7 x 170.18 cm). Its medium is Acrylic on wood panel.
Kyle Dunn
“Siesta,” 2024
This image depicts an artwork by Kyle Dunn titled "Understair." This artwork was created in 2024 and measures 60" x 72" [HxW] (152.4 x 182.88 cm). Its medium is Acrylic on wood panel.
Kyle Dunn
“Understair,” 2024
This image depicts an artwork by Kyle Dunn titled "Passerby with Poppies." This artwork was created in 2025 and measures 24" x 30" [HxW] (60.96 x 76.2 cm). Its medium is Acrylic on wood panel.
Kyle Dunn
“Passerby with Poppies,” 2025
This image depicts an artwork by Kyle Dunn titled "Still Life With Garlic and Money." This artwork was created in 2024 and measures 30" x 24" [HxW] (76.2 x 60.96 cm). Its medium is Acrylic on wood panel.
Kyle Dunn
“Still Life With Garlic and Money,” 2024
This image depicts an artwork by Kyle Dunn titled "Eight-Petalled Rose." This artwork was created in 2024 and measures 56" x 45" [HxW] (142.24 x 114.3 cm). Its medium is Acrylic on wood panel.
Kyle Dunn
“Eight-Petalled Rose,” 2024

Exhibitions

b.

1990
Livonia, MI
Lives and works in Queens, NY
2012
BFA Interdisciplinary Sculpture at Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
2011
Option SCIE at La Haute Ecole d’art et de désign de Genève (HEAD), Switzerland

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2025
"Devil in the Daytime," Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
2024
"Kyle Dunn / Matrix 194," Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT
2023
"Night Pictures," P·P·O·W, New York, NY
2021
"The Fool," Galerie Maria Bernheim, Zurich, Switzerland
2020
"Into Open Air," P·P·O·W, New York, NY
2018
"Always," Thierry Goldberg Gallery, New York, NY
"Night In," Julius Caesar, Chicago, IL
2017
"Leaves Don’t Thank the Sun," Sardine, Brooklyn, NY

Selected Group Exhibitions

2024
"The Sphere of Reality and Fantasy – Inheritance and Exploration of the Tangible and the Imagined," Corridor Foundation, Shenzen, China
"FULL DISCLOSURE: Selections from the Thomas-Suwall Collection," The Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND
"When You See Me: Visibility in Contemporary Art/History," Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX
2023
"SIRANI," Galerie Judin, Berlin, Germany
2022
"Fire Figure Fantasy: Selections from ICA Miami’s Collection," ICA Miami, Miami, FL
"Love is the Devil: Studies after Francis Bacon," Marlborough Gallery, London, United Kingdom
2021
"Equal Affections," GRIMM Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
"Tidal Motion," P·P·O·W and Joe Sheftel, Provincetown, MA
"Body Double," Galerie Maria Bernheim, London, United Kingdom
2019
"Do You Love Me?," P·P·O·W, New York, NY
"Cruise Kidman Kubrick," Galerie Maria Bernheim, Zurich, Switzerland
"Body Parts," Galerie Maria Bernheim, Zurich, Switzerland
2018
"A Scratch in Time," Thierry Goldberg Gallery, New York, NY
"RE_ARRANGE," Juxtapoz Projects at Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ
"Skins," Greenpoint Terminal Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
"Hickey," Little Berlin, Philadelphia, PA
"Thick on the Ground," two person show with Christian Rogers at NATIONALE, Portland, OR
"Interrupting Lines," Pt. 2: Gallery, Oakland, CA
"Strange Looks," Gildar Gallery, Denver, CO
"Fugue," Honey Ramka, Brooklyn, NY

Bibliography

2025
Stevens, M. Charlene. "Kyle Dunn at Vielmetter," Artillery, April 8
2024
Alessandrini, Christopher. "Kyle Dunn’s Paintings Portray Games of Anticipation," Frieze, July 4
White, Katie. "‘There’s a Coyness’: Inside Kyle Dunn’s Symbol-Rich Cinematic Interiors," artnet, June 27
2023
Saltz, Jerry. "Kyle Dunn’s Night Fever," Vulture, May 11
Brown-Ewens, Millen. "These paintings depict a complex, shadowy view of masculinity," Dazed, May 5
Judin, Juerg, "Pay Matthis Karstens." SIRANI, Galerie Judin, Berlin
2021
Yerebakan, Osman Can. "Emerging Artist Kyle Dunn Is Causing a Stir with His Sensuous, Sculptural Paintings," Galerie, April 23
Oostmeijer, Edwin. "Equal Affections." GRIMM Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2018
Jovanovich, Alex. "PROJECT: KYLE VU-DUNN," Artforum, November
Artmaze Mag. "Summer Edition 8," curated by Sara Maria Salamone and Tyler Lafreniere, Founders and Head Curators of Mrs. Gallery, NYC
Zio Baritaux Ed. "Strange Plants III."
2017
Soldi, Rafael, "Q&A: Kyle Vu-Dunn," Strange Fire, November 9
The New Yorker, "Kyle Vu-Dunn," November 3
"Studio Visit with Kyle Vu-Dunn," Inertia, August 17
"Work In Progress Publication," March
"Young Space," March

Awards, Residencies, and Grants

2014
Elizabeth Greenshields Full Grant Recipient, Montreal, Canada
2013
Artist in Residence at the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, hosted by The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Woodstock, NY

Public Collections

Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX
ICA Miami, Miami, FL
North Dakota Museum of Art, Grand Forks, ND
Sunpride Foundation, Hong Kong
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid, Spain
Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT
X Museum, Beijing, China