Marcus Jansen is an American born painter. He attended the Kunstgewerbe Schule Berufskolleg für Technik und Medien am Platz der Republik in Mönchengladbach Germany in 1985 where spent many of his young adult years. Jansen later became a leading combatant of the avant-garde. Jansen was noted in the book “Modern Urban-Expressionism, the art of Marcus Antonius Jansen” published in 2006 as the innovator of Modern expressionism by Art Historian and Director of the American Vanguard Exhibit Europe Jerome A. Donson. Donson presented new action painting which travelled widely through Eastern Europe and major European capitals. Some of the artists included Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Grace Hatigen, Franz Kline, and Jack Tworkov, to name a few.
Life
Jansen first resided in the Soundview section of the South Bronx New York, a section later known to be ground zero for the birth of Hip Hop and socially relevant musicians such as KRS-One, Afrika Bambaataa, Big Pun and others who all resided there. He took part in his first art exhibition at the Lever House in Manhattan at age six after his painting of a lion was selected by a local students school competition while living in Laurelton, Queens, NY. He was raised bilingual by a father from Germany and mother from the West Indies and was educated and later raised in Germany, traveled most of Western Europe and saw his first Art catalog by Robert Rauschenberg which excited him about Art. Jansen spent most of his time overseas in Germany, Netherlands and France during his time in Europe. In 1987 Jansen was introduced to New York Graffiti artist WEST, West Rubinstein who was a first major influence on Jansen as a teen. Jansen was later supported early on by German VIVA TV talk show host and musician Daisy Dee during his time in Germany. He returned to painting after his military discharge in 1997. His decision much effected by his service during 1990-91 where he was part of the Gulf War Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm with Combat Airborne Engineering Units at Fort Bragg NC. His International career took off with a commission by Absolut Vodka, after his wife's sudden death in 2011, leaving Jansen with their two sons. Jansen's first book, Modern Urban-Expressionism, was published in 2006 Jansen has shown in exhibitions in Russia, South Africa, Europe, South America and Asia. In 2008, Jansen was commissioned by Warner Brothers Hollywood for an interpretation of the 1939 story The Wizard of Oz honoring the company's 80th Anniversary and Absolut Vodka. Jansen also is founder of the Marcus Jansen Foundation located in Fort Myers, Florida.
A documentary film by John Scoular, Marcus Jansen Examine and Report, had its world premiere at the Fort Myers Film Festival and was awarded Best Art TV Pilot Documentary by the East Hampton TV Festival. The film is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Books
in Milan published the monograph Marcus Jansen DECADE in 2015. Hirmer Verlag GMBH published the monograph Marcus Jansen "AFTERMATH in 2017.
