Biography

An acute observer of the human condition, John Dobbs’s subject matter ranges from transportation themes, architectural depictions of the urban landscape, poolside vignettes, and dreamlike portraits and interiors. Dobbs utilizes hazy impressions and sensitive light patterns bringing his story to the canvas. Basically a self-taught artist, his classical technique reflects the influences of Jack Levine, Edwin Dickinson, Ben Shahn, and the German Expressionists.

Dobbs, a native of Nutley, New Jersey who grew up in Boston and Washington D.C., is a member of the National Academy of Design and retired Professor of Art at John Jay College, City University of New York. He has had solo exhibitions at various museums, universities and galleries. Among the many private collections are the Joseph Hirshhorn in Washington D.C., the Roy Neuberger in Purchase, N.Y., and the Shure Family Collection in
Chicago, Ill. He has been featured in group shows at the Museum of Modern Art, the American Academy of Art
and Letters, the Whitney Museum in New York, the Butler Institute of American Art in Ohio, and the Salon Populiste
in Paris, France.