Margaret Andera, senior curator of contemporary art, guides us through a closer look at one of the newest additions to the Museum’s collection.

Jonas Wood’s paintings, drawings, and prints are filled with recurring motifs—basketballs, ceramics, plants, and patterned textiles—that appear throughout his still lifes, portraits, and interior scenes. Drawn from his daily life and surroundings, these familiar objects form the foundation of his distinctive style. Known for bold color, flattened space, and intricate layering, Wood transforms the ordinary into compositions that are visually striking and emotionally resonant. In this painting of his young son seated on a couch in the artist’s studio, personal subject matter is combined with a vivid play of form and pattern, creating a scene that feels both intimate and carefully constructed.

Wood’s process often begins with collages assembled from drawings, family photographs, and found images, which he cuts apart and reconfigures to plan larger canvases. This approach allows him to experiment with scale, perspective, and rhythm, giving his work its characteristic mix of flatness and depth. The resulting compositions feel familiar yet fresh, animated by layered patterns and unexpected juxtapositions that draw viewers into his world.

Although deeply rooted in personal memory and daily experience, Wood also engages with the history of painting. He has cited Alex Katz, whose work is well represented in MAM’s collection, as an important influence. Like Katz, Wood distills figures and spaces into bold, simplified forms while capturing both immediacy and lasting resonance. Yet his imagery remains unmistakably his own, transforming everyday rhythms into complex and enduring compositions.

Kiki with Leopard in My Studio has been promised to the Milwaukee Art Museum by Christine Symchych and James McNulty, whose generosity has greatly advanced the Museum’s exhibitions and acquisitions. Additional recent and promised gifts can be seen in Looking Forward: New Gifts of Art, on view through February 15.

Exhibitions in the Herzfeld Center for Photography and Media Arts are sponsored by the Herzfeld Foundation.

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Header image: Jonas Wood (American, b. 1977), Kiki with Leopard in My Studio (detail), 2020. Oil and acrylic on canvas. 65 × 65 in. (165.1 × 165.1 cm). Milwaukee Art Museum, Promised gift of Christine A. Symchych and James P. McNulty, PG2021.3 © Gagosian