John Mellencamp was born in Seymour Indiana on October 7, 1951.  He is primarily known as a pop singer, but started painting in the 1990’s because he liked the solitary aspect of the activity.  His mother was an artist who often encouraged her son to draw as a child.  He later studied in Indiana and New York.   

His painting style has progressed over the years as evidenced by several museum, and gallery exhibits and published portfolios, and in recent years he has increased his output by completing over 300 new works. He has had exhibitions with Miles Davis in LA, solo exhibitions at the famed Butler Museum in Youngstown, Ohio, the Museum of Art in Deland, Florida, Loveland Museum in Loveland, CO and several at ACA Galleries in New York City including Binding Wires, the two-man exhibition featuring works by John and Robert Rauschenberg. “Crossroads: The Paintings of John Mellencamp,” an exhibition of Mellencamp’s artwork at the IU Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art opened on September 5, 2024, is the first exhibition at Indiana University (IU) to focus on the paintings of Indiana-born artist John Mellencamp.The legendary Hoosier’s art exhibition contains large-scale oil portraits and multimedia pieces that document the heart and soul of America ending December 15, 2024. On October 18, 2024, Indiana University commemorated John Mellencamp’s invaluable contributions to music, art and the university with the unveiling of a sculpture in his honor.

Studied

Vincennes University

Resources: mellencamp.com