Jimmy Ernst

Jimmy Ernst’s artwork was influenced by a number of powerful talents and vital currents in the art of his time. Son of Max Ernst, Jimmy drew upon the biomorphic and surreal compositions of his father, as well as Arp, Klee, André Breton, and Lyonel Feininger. His mature oil paintings, which emerged in the 1950s and 1960s, reflect the Atomic Age aesthetic of the period. Often, they resemble crystals or webs; many look like vast labyrinths and are interpreted as symbols of the unconscious mind.

Ernst was always interested in spirituality and drew inspiration from indigenous American art forms such as jazz music and Native American design, along with the lofty structures of european Gothic cathedrals. His color is gentle but seductive and invites the viewer to dwell mentally in his imaginative compositions. A consummate craftsman, he painstakingly created each composition using dozens of layers of paint, which symbolize the depth of human consciousness.