Jennifer Nehrbass

Catalog

A circular painting features a surreal landscape with green hills, a waterfall, and a soft yellow and orange sky. The abstract style blends nature with geometric shapes, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.
Abstract landscape painting by Jennifer Nehrbass featuring a large red-orange sun in the sky, with soft, fluid shapes that evoke mountains, valleys, and a body of water in varying shades of green, blue, and tan. The scene has a serene and dreamlike quality reminiscent of 2024.
A stylized, abstract painting by Jennifer Nehrbass of a mountain landscape featuring layered green and brown hills, a winding river, and a pale sun in a light sky. The 2024 composition uses soft, muted tones and has a serene, almost dreamlike quality.
A surreal painting depicts a mountainous landscape with green hills, a white snow-capped peak, and a pale, almost abstract sun in the sky. The colors are vibrant and slightly exaggerated, blending realistic and abstract elements.
A surreal painting of a mountainous landscape with a bright, yellowish sky and a large sun. The scene features green and blue-tinted hills and cliffs, with a glowing, reflective body of water in the background. The colors are bold and abstract.
A painting of a serene landscape with lush green valleys and hills. Two tranquil turquoise lakes are nestled among the hills, with a warm, orange-yellow sky overhead. The scene emits a calm, reflective atmosphere.
An abstract painting features a bright red sun positioned over a landscape of green and brown mountains. In the foreground, there is a serene, oval-shaped blue lake. The artwork uses bold and vibrant colors to convey a sense of calm and beauty.
A surreal, painted landscape featuring tall, jagged mountains under a pale, large sun. The scene includes a river winding through the valley with various shades of green, orange, and yellow, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. The sky is a soft gradient of beige hues.
A painting depicts a surreal landscape with a bright sun in the sky, illuminating a winding path that stretches towards distant mountains adorned in soft, earthy tones of green and brown. The sky transitions from a pale yellow to a deeper orange as it meets the horizon.
A side profile portrait of a blonde woman against a black background, evoking the signature style of Jennifer Nehrbass. She is wearing a black and white patterned top with geometric designs and a green skirt. She has long hair and is resting her head on her right hand, capturing a timeless moment in 2024.
A surreal painting of a woman with closed eyes, donning an elaborate headdress. Her body merges with abstract, colorful landscapes, giving a mystical appearance. The background features rugged mountains and a blue sky, blending seamlessly with her form.
A person with a serious expression poses against a black background while holding a small bunch of flowers. They wear a black and white patterned outfit by Jennifer Nehrbass, featuring abstract designs and a white collar. Their hair is styled simply, hanging down to their shoulders, in this 2024 portrait.
A painting of a mountainous landscape with a snow-capped peak under a bright sun. The lower slopes are covered in green vegetation, with a winding path leading through the hills. The sky is a muted yellow and blends softly with the high peak.

Jennifer Nehrbass

Born: 1970, West Bend, WI

Biography and Information

Biography

Jennifer Nehrbass’s (b. 1970) Pioneer Project comprises idealized landscape paintings and portraits of women. While the landscapes reimagine a world without the climate crisis, the women in the portraits represent the protagonists from such places.

The artist’s compositions begin with a digital collage sketch built by layering images and shapes on her computer. Nehrbass then paints the fictional composition onto canvas. Within certain areas, her paintings appear photorealistic, while in others a jagged line or unfeasible plane of color calls attention to its constructed nature. By incorporating different people within each portrait and various places within a landscape, Nehrbass uses layering as a visual metaphor for the multifaceted nature of identity. She’s interested in the tension between past and present, thoughts and dreams, reality and imagination, and race and culture.

Jennifer Nehrbass was a design director at Ralph Lauren for a decade before pursuing her art career. Her work has been featured in Hi-Fructose Art, American Art Collector, and HuffPost, among other publications. Nehrbass’s work was recently acquired by the Brooklyn Museum and the New Mexico Arts Collection and is included in private and public collections worldwide. She was nominated as one of five New Mexico Women to Watch 2024 to represent New Mexico for the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The artist currently lives and works in Albuquerque.

Pioneer Project reimagines the history of the western expansion through a feminist eye with landscape and portrait paintings.  At one time both were used to romanticize and politicize notions of manifest destiny. This new representation acknowledges the bravery of all women who venture into the unknown to create a better life and to all that were here before. We are all pioneers. – Jennifer Nehrbass

Education
2006 University of New Mexico, M.F.A.
2003 New York University, M.A
1992 University of Wisconsin, B.S.

Solo Exhibitions
2024
Pioneer Project, Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Lacuna, Visions West Contemporary, Denver, CO

2023
Punk Mountain, Visions West Contemporary, Bozeman, MT

2020
Pioneer Project, Visions West Contemporary, Denver CO

2019
Pioneer Project, Julie Nester Gallery, Park City, UT

2016
Figural Constructs, Goodwin Fine Art, Denver, CO

2015
Forever and a Day, Brunnhofer Gallery, Linz, Austria
Central Features, Albuquerque, NM

2011
Power Gardens, Brunnhofer Gallery, Linz, Austria

2010
Weep and Wonder, Klaudia Marr Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

2009
Weep and Wonder, Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica, CA

2007
Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica, CA

2006
Beauty Mark, Klaudia Marr Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

2004
Women of Mass Distraction, Center For Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, NM

Group Exhibitions
2024
Portion of the Infinite, Visions West Contemporary, Livingston, MT
New Worlds: New Mexico Women to Watch 2024, 516 ARTS, Albuquerque, NM

2023
Art, Life, Passion, Museum Angerlehner, Thalheim bei Wels, Austria
The Female Gaze, Brunnhofer Gallery, Linz, Austria
Mountain Standard Time, Visions West Contemporary, Denver, CO

2022
In Plain Sight, Julie Nester Gallery, Park City, UT
Mountain Standard Time, Visions West Contemporary, Denver, CO

2021
Made in ABQ, Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Taking the Scenic Route, Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
In Plain Sight, Julie Nester Gallery, Park City, UT

2020
Best Offers, Brunnhofer Gallery , Linz, Austria

2019
Art is Female, Brunnhofer Gallery, Linz , Austria
Western Mountain Time, Visions West Contemporary, Denver CO

2018
Coalesce, Tina Goodwin Gallery, Denver CO

2017
Anamorphic Portraiture, Mirus Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2016
Selfie, Stephanie Chefas Project, Portland, OR

2015
Platinum Blend, curated by Stephanie Chefas, Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
On View, Goodwin Fine Art, Denver CO
Mysterious Muck, Circuit 12 Contemporary, Dallas, TX

2014
Through the Looking Glass, Mirus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Perfect Paintings, Brunnhofer Gallery, Linz, Austria
Carte Blanche, Central Features, Albuquerque, NM

2013
Under the Influence of Fashion and Finance, Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Foundation, Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard, CA
The Looking Glass: Refraction Through the Female Gaze, Mirus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Inaugural Exhibtion, Brunnhofer Gallery, Linz, Austria
Five, Julie Nester Gallery, Park City, UT

2011
More Real Than Real: Realism from USA & Canada, Peter Walker Fine Art,  Adelaide, South Australia
Two Person Exhibition, Thinkspace Gallery, Culver City, CA

2010
The Reflected Gaze, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
Under the Influence of Fashion and Finance, curated by Billie Milam Weisman,  Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA
Women Painting Women, Robert Lange Studios, Charleston, SC
The New Reality, Thinkspace Gallery, Culver City, CA

2009
Albuquerque NOW, Albuquerque Art Museum, Albuquerque, NM

2008
De Facto, Sam Francis Gallery, Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences, Santa Monica, CA

2007
Eye to I • Self Portraits by Women Artists, 516 Arts, Albuquerque, NM (Catalog)
Made in USA, Brunnhofer Gallery, Linz, Austria

2006
Contemporary Imaginings: The Howard A. and Judy Tullman Collection, Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL (Catalog)
ZEITHEIST, Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
13th Annual Realism Invitational, Klaudia Marr Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Juried Invitational, curated by Harmony Hammond, Jonson Gallery, Albuquerque, NM (Catalog)

2005
12th Annual Realism Invitational, Klaudia Marr Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Juried Invitational, curated by Joel Peter Witkin, Jonson Gallery, Albuquerque, NM (Catalog)

2004
Inside 8, Center For Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, NM
Incoming Students, Jonson Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Contemporary Condition, Corrales, NM

2003
Noah’s Ark, Islip Art Museum, Islip, NY
80 Washington Square Gallery, New York, NY
Istituto d’Architectura, Venice, Italy (Catalog)

2001
The Body or Landscape, curated by David Gibson, New York, NY
BGH Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
Chiaroscuro Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

1999
6th@Prince, New York, NY
Save the Teens, Benefit auction, New York, NY
Size Matters, curated by Mike Weiss, New York, NY

1998
Arsenal Gallery, New York, NY

1993
Hastings Gallery, Hastings- on- Hudson, NY

Collections
Danny First, Los Angeles CA
Beth Rudin DeWoody, New York, NY
Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Los Angeles CA
Elizabeth A. Sackler for Feminist Art: Feminist Art Base
Museum Angerlehner, Thalheim bei Wels, Austria
Howard Tullman, Chicago, IL
Robert Heinecken and Joyce Neimanas, Rochester, NY
University of New Mexico Law Library, Albuquerque, NM

Awards
2006
Project Grant, University of New Mexico

2005
Research Grant, University of New Mexico
Florence Henri Award, University of New Mexico

Press
2022
Nancy Zastudil, Work in Progress with Jennifer Nehrbass, Studio Visit / New Mexico, Southwest Contemporary, January 31

2019
Tucker, Lucy Lea, Western Herstory, Reimaged, Big Life Magazine, April, p. 90-92
Kelly Carper, Jennfier Nehrbass’ Pioneer Project Reimages How the West Might Have Been Won, Utah 15 Bytes, March 8
Pioneer Woman, American Art Collector, Issue # 161, March, p. 134-138

2017
Artist Spotlight: Jennifer Nehrbass, Booooooom , January 12

2016
Foiret, Cyril, Jennifer Nehrbass’ Unique Paintings Based on Collages, Trendland Magazine, March 1

2014
Voynovskaya, Nastia, Jennifer Nehrbass’s Oil Paintings Explore Various Personas, High Fructose Magazine, June 2

2013
McCray, Elizabeth, Bliss Magazine, Issue #68, April, p.38
Pierets, Fleur, Etalors Magazine, Issue 5, p. 20-30
Surreal Meets Hyper-Real: Jennifer Nehrbass, Juxtapoz, Magazine, July
Priscilla Frank, Jennifer Nehrbass is ON OUR RADAR, Huffington Post, February 4
Caroline Kurze, Jennifer Nehrbass, Ignant.de, January 23
Hamada, Jeff, Jennifer Nehrbass, Booooooom , January 12

2012
Sbarge, Suzanne, The Labletter, p. 9-13

2011
Tugrul A., Default Magazine, May, p. 36-42
Johnstone, Andrew, Empty Magazine, February

2010
American Art Collector, November, p. 196
Mental Shoes, ezine, April

2009
Albuquerque Arts, cover and review p. 3, November
Vista, Sandra, Artillery, Sept/Oct, vol. 4 issue 1
Kropoth, Phil, LA Editorial Pick for Flavorpill, August 10
Paez, Veronica, Whitehot Magazine, July
Stanton, Chris, Daily Dujour, July 13
Gibson, Allison, Daily Serving.com, July 8

2008
Brillman, Ruth, Local IQ, cover and interview, July 24
Brady, Sallie, New York Spaces, March, p. 84-85

2007
Guy Cross, THE Magazine, October, p. 22-23
Santa Fean, October/ November, p. 41-43
THE Magazine, Cover, April 2007
Salem, Nancy, Albuquerque Tribune, February 16, p.C4
Mayfield, Dan, Albuquerque Journal, February 4, p.F1

2006
Flavorpill LA, issue 189 cover, day spa flavor, October 10-16
Juxtapoz, June, p.104
American Art Collector, May, p.74-77
Pulkka Wesley, Albuquerque Journal, April
Salem, Nancy, Albuquerque Tribune, April, p.C3

2004
Pulkka, Wesley, Albuquerque Journal, September
Carver, John, Critical Reflections, THE Magazine, September, p. 49

Press Release
2024 Pioneer Project at Richard Levy Gallery
2022 Richard Levy Gallery at Art Market San Francisco
2021 Made in ABQ at Richard Levy Gallery
2021 Taking the Scenic Route at Richard Levy Gallery