PETER WAYNE LEWIS was born in Kingston, Jamaica, immigrating to Sacramento, California with his parents in 1962, and becoming an American citizen in 1983. He received his M.A. 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 a stint as Chairman of the Department from which he is now a Professor Emeritus. He maintains an ambitious studio practice, splitting his time between the New York Metro area and Beijing, China, where he is 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 series Buddha Plays Monk. 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 The Delaware Contemporary (2019-2020) in Wilmington, DE; a survey of paintings produced in his studio in Beijing at UCCA - Ullens Center of Contemporary Art in Beijing (curated by Philip Tinari, 2016); and MOCA-North Miami (2015) as well as gallery exhibitions on three continents. He is in numerous public and private collections in the U.S. and abroad.
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