About
Jules Kunhardt
Jules Kunhardt is a German painter, born in Paris, who divides her time between Grasse on the Côte d’Azur and Chicago. Trained in fine arts and graphic design in Urbino, Passau and Münster, she paints with humour and seriousness at once – bees and roosters, Provençal villages, people who have something to say.
Biography
Jules Kunhardt, born in Paris and currently dividing her time between Grasse, Côte d’Azur, and Chicago, is a German artist with a rich and varied background in fine arts, graphic design and illustration. With a body of work that spans various media and themes, she blends personal and global experience into evocative, thought-provoking pieces that invite viewers to reflect on the world around them.
Education and early career
Jules began her artistic journey studying fine arts at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Urbino, Italy, before continuing her studies at the University of Passau in Bavaria. She earned a Master of Arts from the University of Applied Sciences in Münster, Germany, and then worked as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator, creating commissioned works for publications and clients.
Themes and techniques
One of the defining qualities of her work is the ability to take on a wide range of subjects with grace, humour and a keen eye for detail. From classic children’s portraits to hard-hitting social commentary, her pieces share a common thread: giving importance to their subjects while keeping a sense of hope and playfulness.
A recurring theme is her love for chickens, roosters and goats, drawn and painted after the animals she used to keep in her backyard – “whimsical subjects, amusing creatures, and easy to depict because they’re expressive and more lighthearted than, say, a horse.”
Her training as a graphic designer shows in her affinity for lines and shapes. She works with superfine ink pens as well as broad oil sticks, striking a delicate balance between simplicity and playfulness.
Series and exhibitions
In recent years Jules has taken on several ambitious series. “Colony Collapse Disorder”, inspired by the mysterious disappearance of bees, raises awareness of the importance of pollination and the beauty of insects. “Eating Animals”, born from reading Jonathan Safran Foer’s book of the same name, examines meat consumption, factory farming and their environmental impact.
Her “Alzheimer’s” series pays tribute to her aunt, who was diagnosed with the disease; it gives a voice to those who have lost theirs and depicts the fear of losing one’s identity. Her portrait of Amanda Gorman, the young poet who recited her poem at the U.S. presidential inauguration, has been shown in several exhibitions in France and the United States.
Teaching
Her work has received several awards and been shown throughout the United States and Europe. Jules has taught art for many years, including to refugees, and leads painting retreats in Grasse and Provence, where participants immerse themselves in an inspiring setting and learn alongside her.
CV
Education
- 1996Master of Arts, University of Applied Sciences Münster, Germany
- 1992University of Passau, Germany
- 1991Accademia di Belle Arti, Urbino, Italy
Solo shows
- 2024Feathered Masterpieces, Pour, Chicago, IL
- 2024Chicken/Rooster/Goat, Galerie Casa Blu, Valbonne, France
- 2022Retrospective of 12 Years Chicago, Fulton Market District, Chicago
- 2022All About Chicken, Gallery Space 900, Evanston, IL
- 2020About Bees, 1100 Florence Gallery, Evanston, IL
- 2015Memoir I Am, Co-Star Studio, Evanston, IL
- 2014Chicken and Goats, 800 Elgin lobby, Evanston, IL
- 2014Meet your Meat, Hevanston Gallery, Evanston, IL
- 2014Meet your Meat, Arterie Fine Arts Gallery, Naperville, IL
- 2012Meet your Meat, Studio 1610, Evanston, IL
- 2009Strichhuhn, Porz, Germany
- 2006Hühner, Atelier Köln-Deutz, Germany
- 2001“Was, wenn’s doch stimmt?”, Porz, Germany
- 1993Gut behütet, Städtisches Krankenhaus Münster, Germany
- 1992Art happening “Zur Ehre Gottes – oder einfach nur so”, upper right tower of Cologne Cathedral, Germany
Curated exhibitions
- 2016Spring Show, Co-Star, Evanston, IL
- 2013Blooming, Co-Star, Evanston, IL
- 20012000 Jahre die Bibel, live concert and exhibition, Porz, Germany
Group shows and awards
- 2023Once upon in America, Valbonne, France
- 2021Evanston Made Painting Group Show, Evanston, IL
- 2021Evanston + Vicinity Biennial, Evanston, IL
- 2020Touch, WomanMade, Chicago, IL
- 2020Create-in-place, Waterstreet Studio, Batavia, IL
- 2019Wings and Water, Biennial, River Arts, WI
- 2019Small Works, Limner Gallery, New York
- 2018Faces Not Forgotten, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL
- 2017Landschaften, The Saw Room, Evanston, IL
- 2016Artificial Turf, Co-Star Studios, Evanston, IL
- 2015Unforgettable Art, Alzheimer’s Association, Rockford, IL
- 2014Best of Show, Morpho Gallery, Chicago, IL
- 2014Proofs for Purchase, Noyes Cultural Arts Center, Evanston, IL
- 2014Biennial Exhibition, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL
- 2014Second prize, Reflections, Arterie Fine Arts Gallery, Naperville, IL
- 2013Next Wave, Art Salon, Elgin, IL
- 2013First prize, Distortion, Arterie Fine Arts Gallery, Naperville, IL
- 2013Printmaking Show, Evanston Art Center, with “Carnal Desire”, Evanston, IL
- 2012Inchworks, Northshore Art League, Winnetka, IL
Presentations and press
- 2021Featured artist on the cover with Amanda Gorman, Artistonish Magazine, Ontario, Canada
- 2016International Art Talk, Cultural Bridge, DANK Haus, Chicago, IL
- 2015Live performance, Unforgettable Art, Alzheimer’s Association, Rockford, IL
- 2015Alzheimer’s at Maker’s Salon, Chicago, IL
- 2014Featured artist, Thought Notebook Journal, First Time
- 2013Lecture, Women in the Arts, Woodlands Academy, Lake Forest, IL
- 2012Cover of the Evanston Art Center catalogue
Professional experience
- since 2009Commissioned portraits of children and adults
- 2015–2020Art and ESL classes with refugees, Heartland Alliance, Chicago
- 2007Teaching art at the Naserian School, Malambo, Tanzania
- 2000–2006Art direction, theatre and set design, FeG Mittendrin, Bergisch Gladbach
- 1996Monitor at the Wrapped Reichstag by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Berlin
- 1994–1998Freelance graphic designer, Kunhardt & Co, Cologne
- 1994Commissioned illustrations for the magazine Glauben & Leben
Press and galleries
For high-resolution images, exhibition enquiries and interviews, please get in touch.