Matthew Day Jackson  (American, 1974) 

Matthew Day Jackson (American, b.1974) is a Contemporary artist whose works range from sculpture to painting, collage, photography, drawing, video, performance, and installation. Jackson was born in Panorama City, CA, and received a BFA from the University of Washington, in Seattle, WA, in 1997. He went on to earn an MFA from the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, in 2001.

Jackson became inspired by the designs and writings of Richard Buckminster Fuller (American, 1895–1983) early in his career. Jackson typically relies on familiar iconography, such as the geodesic structures of Fuller, and mixes them with references from art history. Jackson's exhibits have drawn heavily from modern culture, often referencing events such as man's first steps on the moon to iconic covers of Life from the 1960s to the 1970s. Jackson's medium is most often found in the world around him. He has used mother of pearl, burned wood, semiprecious metals and Formica, to name just a few, in his art. Jackson is also known for recycling previously used items, including old T-shirts, ax handles, and prosthetic limbs. The articles are always chosen for their symbolism in relationship to the work. The works are an attempt to define American identity.

One of Jackson's well-known works is titled Hung, Drawn, and Quartered II (2005). The work is an abject effigy of a lynching. Jackson constructed the piece with leather, taxidermy eyes, and a tree branch; it represents the destructions of American ideals. The work Alphorn with Quartered Stand (Horn of Lady Liberty) (2005) is a burned drawing on a dead tree trunk to represent a figurative call for a revolution. Civil War Battlefield (2006) is considered to be one of Jackson's better-known series.

Jackson currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, and is represented by Hauser and Wirth in New York. Jackson's works have been shown around the world in several museums and galleries, including the Saatchi Gallery in New York, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art in Boulder, CO, and the Museum of Fine Arts, in Boston, MA. His work was also on display for the Whitney Biennial in New York and the Portland Museum of Art Biennial in Portland, ME.