Magnus Gjoen’s work incorporates a street and pop aesthetic with a fine art approach, combining Renaissance source material with his own distinct motifs and patterns. Magnus Gjoen’s art is the sum of many contradictions, evocative and glamorous yet eerily macabre, and hovers delightfully between styles.
Magnus Gjoen’s work incorporates a street and pop aesthetic with a fine art approach, combining Renaissance source material with his own distinct motifs and patterns. Magnus Gjoen’s art is the sum of many contradictions, evocative and glamorous yet eerily macabre, and hovers delightfully between styles.
Gjoen often explores the relationship between power and fragility through his work, juxtaposing the two states to create the maximum visual and conceptual effect. Magnus sources imagery from museum archives and other fragments from the past to create an unmistakable dissonance within his work. Gjoen had a multicultural childhood, being born to Norwegian parents and living in Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, and the UK. After studying fine art and fashion design, Gjoen turned his attention to the world of fashion. With extensive experience working as a designer under Vivienne Westwood, as well as a denim designer at Lee Jeans, Gjoen certainly knows a thing or two about style. Gjoen’s reinterpretations of skulls, guns, and grenades are created digitally and begin life as a virtual 3D base in illustrator or another design program. From then the artist builds up layers of tone and shading to give the image three-dimensional qualities. Since making the move from designer to artist, Gjoen has built a broad and highly engaged global audience. Since his debut at the Underdog Gallery, Gjoen has had a range of solo shows in galleries worldwide and his work is highly sought-after by private collectors and public clients. Gjoen has exhibited in Milan, Florida, London, Hamburg, Amsterdam, and Stockholm. Celebrity collectors include the likes of Kylie Jenner, Graham Norton and Kate Moss.
Gjoen said of his art: “this is salvation for a godless generation.”
We love how Gjoen blends the old with the new to create a distinct and beautiful aesthetic.
We love how Gjoen challenges our preconceptions, making destructive objects fragile and beautiful.
Gjoen has collaborated with renowned porcelain manufacturer Meissen and London's prestigious Wallace Collection.
Gjoen calls himself an 'accidental artist' as his career began when he chose to decorate his flat with his own art.
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
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Magnus Gjoen is a fascinating artist creating powerful and beautiful images that have been proving very popular. As a designer for Vivienne Westwood he clearly has a great eye for a good image, using the masterpieces of some of most inspirational painters of all time such as Titian’s “Venus” and Holbein’s “Christ in the Tomb” as an integral part of his prints. Find out more as we delve deeper with our Q&A... What or who are the main inspirations behind your work? I take inspiration from everywhere I go. Renaissance and Flemish masters and religion, but also popular culture, war ...
