Jay Milder has used the act of painting as a conduit for the exploration of mankind’s
psychological and spiritual makeup. From his early days studying with Hans Hofmann,
through his figurative expressionism of the 1960s and ‘70s, and on to today,
Milder paints aiming at communion with a greater whole.

Born in Omaha in 1934, he was influenced by both the Hasidic mysticism of
his ancestors and by the jazz of the black nightclubs he frequented as a teenager. 
He was a founding member of the Rhino Horn Abstract Expressionism Group in the 1960s.

Using exuberant colors and tactile paint handling, Milder wrestles his
spiritual signposts into existence. His work has the air of a shamanistic event,
with symbols and meanings emerging from his ritualistic painting practice.
Numbers and letters fly about in Milder’s intricate drumbeat compositions.
Kabbalistic numerology intersects with the chakra points of yoga philosophy.
A blissful face emerges occasionally from the paintings’ din. All is held together with
Milder’s dynamic abstract improvisation and material sensitivity.

Brief History

1953 - 1954 Attended University of Nebraska

1954 - 1956 Studied at La Grande Chaumiere and the Sorbonne

1956 - 1957 Studied at the Art Institute of Chicago

1958 Studied at Hans Hoffman Schoool

1991 Professor Emeritus of City University of New York

1999 Cultural Exchange representative between America and Brazil at Belles Artes Museum, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil