Marcus Brutus

Marcus Brutus is a self-taught, New York–based artist who holds a Bachelor of Science degree from St. John’s University in Queens, New York. His paintings explore, in his own words, “ideas of power through portraiture.” Drawing inspiration from diverse source materials culled from the realms of fashion, film, music, photography, art, and politics, he fluidly interweaves subtle and overt references to the past and present, the real and imagined, to create vignettes that seem to collapse discrete eras and context. “What I’m trying to do is establish a legacy,” Brutus explains, “I want to show these very contemporary issues, but show them as having some long past.” There is a palpable emotional intensity to his practice, reinforced by his saturated use of color and dynamically askew lines.

Brutus has presented two solo exhibitions with Harper's, The Uhmericans at Harper’s Apartment in New York in 2018 and Go To Work. Get Your Money and Come Home. You Don’t Live There at the East Hampton gallery in 2019. He was included in the 2019 group show American African American, curated by Arnold Lehman, at Phillips in New York, and will participate in upcoming group shows at Library Street Collective, Detriot, Ramp Gallery, London, and PLUS-ONE Gallery, Antwep, curated by Mathieu Van Damme of Case Studyo. Brutus also had a solo booth at EXPO Chicago and presented his work at UNTITLED, Art Miami Beach with Harper's, both in 2019. He has been featured in several interviews, mostly recently withRadio Juxatpoz and Juxtapoz Magazine,Cerebral Women, and Twilight Talks. Brutus's first monograph, Marcus Brutus: The Uhmericans, was published by Harper’s Books and features an essay by Antwaun Sargent.