Jonathan Herbert (b.1952, NYC) trained at Boston's School of the Museum of Fine Arts (Diploma in Painting, 1977). Before graduation, he spent a formative year in Antwerp (1975-76) studying with mentor Jan Cox, absorbing CoBrA sensibilities that would inform his visceral approach to paint. His fifty-year career defies conventional categorization.
Returning to Manhattan, Herbert immersed himself in the 1970s-80s downtown art scene. He exhibited at Frank Marino and Nico Smith, was one of the artists creating Color Xerox Art at Jamie Canvas, alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat and Cindy Sherman. He painted his Views from a Yellow Cab series during 250,000 miles as a night-shift taxi driver—many while driving. His 1982 solo exhibition at Chase Park nightclub was chronicled by Cookie Mueller in Details Magazine. Herbert's painting was lauded by his friend photographer Robert Frank, who invited him to Mabou, Nova Scotia.
In 1984, Herbert co-founded Herbert Wagner Digital Imaging, creating the digital art revolution. His next firm, Computer Illustration, serendipitously named the future field. At the helm of Zero Degrees Kelvin (1991-1999), he pioneered 3D medical visualization for pharmaceutical companies including Genentech, creating launch imagery for rituximab—the cancer therapy that would later save his life when diagnosed with lymphoma in 2012. His digital work garnered 28 industry publications, a BDA Gold Award (1999), and inclusion in Silicon Graphics' permanent collection.
Returning to oil painting in 1998, Herbert created powerful landscapes and figurative works. Series include Tarot, Sephirot, and explicit Eros and Thanatos paintings and photographs.
Moving to Sarasota in 2015, he formulates acrylic-urethane paints incorporating ground copper and reflective particles, creating surfaces that shift with light and viewing angle. His current practice explores alchemical processes, creating work that bridges materiality and spirituality.
Herbert's work is held in collections including The Kinsey Institute, Pfizer Inc., The Paley Center for Media. Recent exhibitions include Cascades: Gravity Paintings (ARTLAB, 2023) and The Flag (Art Ovation Hotel, 2025-26). MoMA and the NYPL have artist files on him.
As a 9/11 and cancer survivor managing traumatic brain injuries from neurotoxic chemotherapy, he paints prolifically. Herbert’s forthcoming The Madman Diaries is a wild ride through addiction, recovery, technological innovation, and survival against extraordinary odds.
Learn More: https://www.jonathanherbert.com