PETER WAYNE LEWIS PETER WAYNE LEWIS was born in Kingston, Jamaica, immigrated to Sacramento, California with his parents in 1962, and become an American citizen in1983. He received his Master of Art in Painting from San Jose State University in California. He was a tenured Professor of Painting at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston for 25 years, including 3 years as Chairman of the Department. Peter maintained an ambitious studio practice, splitting his time between the New York Metro area and Beijing, China, where he was also the Director of Oasis Gallery-Beijing.
Peter’s influences are global, ranging from his early attraction to Japanese prints to a lifelong interest in music, the legacy of his jazz-pianist father. More recently, he has become intrigued by theoretical cosmology and quantum physics, especially string theory, a concept that has pushed his work into new territory, notably in the recent series, Behind the Black Hole. His expansive abstract language negotiates a balance between spontaneity and precise control - an amalgam that offers an intense intellectual and visual experience.
Peter has exhibited extensively in the US, Africa, Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. Recent solo exhibitions include Red Gate Gallery, Beijing, China titled, Fractal Patterns (2026); b.sakata garo fine art, Sacramento, CA titled California Daze Dreams (2025); 447 Space in New York City, titled Monk (2024); Skoto Gallery, New York, NY titled Buoyancy Paintings (2023); a survey of paintings produced in his studio in Beijing at The Delaware Contemporary in Wilmington, DE titled Beijing Booster Paintings (2019-2020); UCCA - Ullens Center of Contemporary Art in Beijing curated by Philip Tinari, titled the Booster Paintings (2016); and MOCA-North Miami titled Beijing Booster: The Art of Peter Wayne Lewis (2015) as well as gallery exhibitions on three continents. Upcoming exhibitions include a group exhibition at and PAHM-Pan African Heritage Museum Accra, Ghana in (2027). His work can be found worldwide in numerous public and private collections.
RESUME English, Deutsch, Chinese (Mandarin), Resume Download
BRIEF BIO English, Deutsch, Chinese (Mandarin), Brief Bio Download
Timeline English, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Timeline Download
CAREER NARRATIVE English, Deutsch, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Career Narrative Download
ESSAYS:
Thoughts on the 2020/21 Pandemic, by Peter Wayne Lewis, English, Chinese (Mandarin), Deutsch, Essay Download
Art and the Evolution of Human Consciousness, by Peter Wayne Lewis, English, Deutsch, Essay Download
Shop for paintings & prints by Peter Wayne Lewis.
The Tyrone Adderley Lectures at Massachussetts College of Art & Design, Committee Chair
Adderley Lecture past Videos page: The Cornel West Lecture has been made public. For the other lectures, please contact us
20 Years of Adderley Lecture Series @ MassArt, over 20 years Committee Chair
Cornel West's Tyrone Maurice Adderley Lecturer for 2019 >> click to see Cornel's impactful lecture
Adderley Lecture Videos page >> Contact us to view the videos other than Cornel West's, which has been made public
Adderley Lecture Videos page >> Contact us to view the videos other than Cornel West's, which has been made public
Announcing the Parish Gallery records, 1940-2013, in the Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives of American Art Photo: Gwen & Norm Parish, beloved couple devoted to art and the Parish Gallery in Georgetown, DC
Dreads, book and photos by Francesco Mastalia
Donna Jackson completed her Master of Arts thesis, "Peter Wayne Lewis: The Evolution of an Abstract Artist," in December of 2002 at Howard University
Black Renaissance/Renaissance Noire magazine, Vol. 15, Issue 2, Fall pp 116-127 article on Peter Wayne Lewis, "Multilogues For The Human" by Babacar MBow
Fall 2012 The Visual Arts In China magazine from The American Embassy, Beijing. Interview by Stacey Duff with Peter Wayne Lewis is on pgs 23-25
The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, CD Cover: Blue Swan Suite #21, 1995, 60x48in, Oil on Linen
Seton Hall magazine cover, Douglass Purviance, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra Producer, with his Blue Swan Suite #21, 1995, 60x48in, Oil on Linen painting by Peter Wayne Lewis
Mackie: It's Great to be Alive, CD Cover: Portrait of Mackie pen on paper napkin