Gary Komarin has spent nearly fifty years pushing the boundaries of contemporary painting. Born in New York City in 1951, he is known for taking risks. His work feels loose, spontaneous, and full of energy, with playful shapes and a style that is entirely his own. Komarin has always believed that abstraction isn’t limiting and sees it as a way to say more, not less. By avoiding discernible imagery, he opens up space for emotion, imagination, and unexpected moments. His most successful works are Pop Art-like cake images, an unexpected marriage between the architectural and domestic.
Komarin’s voice as an artist comes from a mix of his training and his own story. He spent a year working under Philip Guston as a fellow, and studied at the Art Students League and the New York Studio School. He also did graduate work in English literature, which often shows up in his painting titles.
Growing up in New York City with European parents—a Czech architect and a Viennese writer—also shaped the way he thinks about form, structure, and symbolism. It’s a blend of influences that still shows up in his work today.
Komarin’s work has been shown all over the world, including the United States, South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. His paintings are part of major museum collections, such as the Museum of Modern Art in Rome, the Museum of Modern Art in Bogotá, Musée Kiyoharu in Kyoto, and Musée Mougins in the South of France.
He has exhibited alongside some of the most influential artists in contemporary art. He was part of an exhibition at McEnroe Gallery in New York with Jean-Michel Basquiat, Philip Guston, and Bill Traylor. More recently, his work has been shown in dialogue with artists like Cy Twombly, Robert Motherwell, Larry Poons, Andy Warhol, and David Hockney.
Gary Komarin lives and works at his country studio in Roxbury, Connecticut and in New York City.
