Karen Tompkins

Tompkins is inspired by celestial objects and phenomena; her art continues to delve into the mysteries of the universe, from sub-atomic particles to distant galaxies. She explored her interest in astronomy in Italy as an Artist in Residence at the American Academy in Rome in 2016 where she became intrigued by Galileo’s discoveries of sunspots, the Jovian moons, and the craters on the moon. Tompkins is also inspired by the natural, repeating patterns in the universe comprised of the 118 elements. She draws inspiration from French astronomer Charles Messier’s list of light objects that appear as comets but are not, which swirl and dazzle through the night sky. She believes that humans are connected to the “pulse” of the natural world because they are comprised of the “star stuff” reflected in the universe. Tompkins grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and studied painting and drawing at the Academy of Fine Art in Rome, Italy before continuing her education at the Pratt Institute Graduate School in Brooklyn, NY.

Education

Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, Graduate Studies
Academy of Fine Art, Rome, Italy
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, B.A. 

Selected Group Exhibitions

2024

Incandescence: The Chandelier in Contemporary Art, Lehman College Art Gallery, Bronx, NY

2020

Art Off-Screen, curated by Eileen Jeng, Neumeraki, New York, NY

2018

The Art of Protest, Arteté Gallery, Greenpoint NY
Tick Tock: Time in Contemporary Art, Lehman College Art Gallery, Bronx, NY (curated by Bartholomew Bland)
Master Drawings New York, Cade Tompkins Projects at Victoria Munroe Fine Art, New York, NY

2017

Fine Print Fair, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cade Tompkins Projects, Cleveland, Ohio
Give Voice, Gallery LMAK, New York, NY
Give Voice, Rubin Museum, New York, NY
Spring Break Art Fair, New York, NY

2016

IFPDA Print Fair, Art in an Airstream, New York, NY

2014

Art Southampton, Voltz Clarke, Southampton, NY
The Brucennial, Vito Schnabel & The Bruce High Quality Foundation, New York, NY
Kips Bay Designer Show House, Mendelson Group, New York, NY

2013

The Armory Show Summer Celebration, Voltz Clarke, Sag Harbor, NY
Spring Selections, MME Fine Art, New York, NY

2012

ArtHamptons, Cade Tompkins Projects, Bridgehampton, NY
Blair Voltz Clarke, VIP Exhibition, Armory Show, New York, NY

2011

Editions/Artists’ Book Fair, New York, NY
Blair Voltz Clarke, VIP Exhibition, Armory Show, New York, NY

2010

Monumental, Cade Tompkins Projects, Providence, RI
Blair Voltz Clarke, VIP Exhibition, Armory Show, New York, NY
Next Art Fair, Cade Tompkins Projects, Chicago, IL
Baltimore Museum of Art, Contemporary Print Fair, Baltimore, MD
Editions/Artists’ Book Fair, New York, NY

2009

Pink Is The New Black, Cade Tompkins Projects, Providence, RI
Editions/Artists’ Book Fair, New York, NY
Jensen Fine Arts, Brookline, MA

2008

Editions/Artists’ Book Fair, New York, NY

2007

A Century of Women Painters, Jensen Fine Arts, Brookline, MA

2006

The Affordable Art Fair, Julio Valdez Prints, New York, NY
Inaugural Exhibition, Jensen Fine Art, Brookline, MA

2005

Art and the Garden, Spanierman Gallery, East Hampton, NY
Picturing Central Park, Christie’s, New York, NY
Group Show, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY

2004

Summer Show, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY

2003

Works on Paper, The Armory Exhibition, Ronnie-Cohen, New York, NY
Selections, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY
Connections, Ronnie Cohen, New York, NY

2002

Selections, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY
San Francisco Art Fair, Kraushaar Gallleries, San Francisco, CA
Summer Exhibition, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY

2000

Contemporary Art of Philbrook, The Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK

1999
Selections, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY
Works on Paper, The Armory Exhibition, Kraushaar Galleries, NY, NY
The Art Show, The Armory Exhibition, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY

1998

The Exchange Show, Ronnie Cohen, New York, NY
Works on Paper, The Armory Exhibition, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY
The Digital Print, A.I.R. Gallery, New York, NY
Still Life Painting Today, Jerald Melberg Gallery, Charlotte, NC
Artists Prints, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY

1997

Works on Paper, The Armory Exhibition, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY
Scapes: Air and Land, Jane Thurn Gallery, New York, NY
Landscapes-Gardens, Jane Thrun Gallery, New York, NY

1996

Albright-Knox Gallery, Buffalo, NY
Four Collectors: Richard Brown Baker, Caroline Lerner Goldsmith, Werner Kramarsky, Michael Rubenstein, The Century Association, New York, NY

1995

Icons for a Contemporary Work, Cade Tompkins, New York, NY
Bloom!, Downtown/Uptown Gallery Lok, Wainscott, NY
Group, Downtown/Uptown Gallery Lok, Wainscott, NY

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2016

Galileo/Sunspots, American Academy in Rome, Rome, Italy

2015

Speed of Light, MME Fine Art, New York, NY

2013

ARTworks, Holland Hall, Tulsa, OK

2012

Extraordinary/Ordinary, MME Fine Art, New York, NY

2003

Karen Tompkins, Judith Wall Fine Art, New York, NY

1997

Solo Show, Kraushaar Galleries, New York, NY

Collections

Corporate And Museum Collections
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Providence, RI
Cabot, Cabot, Forbes, Stamford, CT
R.L. Hudson Vineyard, Napa, CA
Nortex, Providence, RI
Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, OK
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Williams Company, Tulsa, OK
James D. Wolfensohn Incorporated, New York, NY