About the Artist

About the Artist

As a natural successor to Abstract Expressionism, Jumper Maybach’s paintings embody the incendiary and explosive passion that characterized the truly American movement. Born of the nuances in trauma and healing, Maybach’s works are weighted. The profound expression of both tragedy and healing is highly resonant and their sweeping beauty is undeniable. Works such as Can't Fix Stupid, Jumper's Hug Constellation, and The Cotton Candy Series represent the spontaneity, the frenetic joy and the subversive messages swaddled in childlike expression that distinguish Jumper Maybach’s unique style of painting. These are the qualities that link him so clearly to the great American tradition of spontaneous abstraction, with Art Dubai dubbing him the ‘The 21st Century Jackson Pollock’.

Jumper Maybach’s painting explores political concepts through the frenetic and organic forms that inhabit his canvases and interrogates social commentary with subversive deftness. At times, the messaging is subdued, a subtle slow burn; while often it is hiding in plain sight, offering a juxtaposition between abstraction and literal that speaks to the duality inherent in his personas.

Born Ben Workman in 1963, the artist that will come to be known as Jumper Maybach formed ideas of self-worth and, like us all, self-hatred through the adversity and trauma of a socially fraught 1960’s Corpus Christi childhood. These cornerstones of identity are acutely perceptible through the mixing of raw emotion and the perceived disorganization of color, line and form that coalesces into a world of explosive instinct. His paintings beg the viewer to step into his world of intuition through his playfulness and at times childlike wonder to walk with him to the better world he creates on his canvases.

This better world is truly at the heart of Jumper Maybach’s core beliefs, a subversive sentiment in itself during a time of confusion and disunity, where the over-saturation of information can obscure the artistic message. The abstraction and free form style has at its heart the rebellious nature of the American spirit yet peels back the layers of overcomplicated form to reveal the light amidst the darkness. It expresses the message that goodness, kindness, unity, and acceptance can move our society into a more productive and beautiful existence where hatred is conquered by an intuitive understanding of the commonalities between all humans.

Every single painting by Maybach has a message at the core of its idiosyncratic style, and Maybach’s advocacy is at the forefront of these messages. The practice of rendering the physicality of the paint into true evocations of love, freedom, and light echoes the transformation of pain into joy that the release of his artistic expression enables. Maybach views this release and transmutation of emotion as a conduit for his own personal healing, and believes that a person’s trauma does not define them, but is vital to their human experience and holds the potential for the great metamorphosis possible in all people.

Suffering his own traumas in 1960’s, Ben Workman endured decades of emotional abuse, harassment and marginalization due to his sexual orientation and ultimately found solace in his own metamorphosis into Jumper Maybach in 2010, where he was able to channel his trauma into a vehicle for not only personal release but advocacy for universal love, unconditional acceptance and the freedom to be who you are. The duality of his personas adds a level of complexity to Maybach’s paintings that speaks to the nuances of self-acceptance. His paintings allow the viewer to step into the world that healing from past traumas builds: a world of tolerance, peace and freedom in one’s own authenticity. He loudly and unabashedly advocates for an end to bullying and a return to altruism of childhood, where light prevails over darkness and hatred and kindness rules in organized and beautiful chaos. He examines the notion that chaos, explosive color and the abandonment of form can be the visualization of the breakdown of past traumas and self-hate and express to the world that true freedom is found in this chaos. From there, Maybach rebuilds his worlds with the thundering call to end hatred, bullying and intolerance and to live in the light.

The world is ready for Maybach’s message and the core belief in a compassionate society devoid of hatred, bullying and intolerance. His work has been exhibited in numerous galleries around the globe and can be found in exceptional collections worldwide. He has exhibited at the Venice Biennale and the Galerie du Louvre, as well as in esteemed galleries in Vienna, Barcelona, and The Netherlands. In 2013, Jumper Maybach held his first gallery show, which ultimately led to an invitation to attend Art Dubai 2013, UAE as a VIP guest. Jumper exhibited in Dubai, UAE, in 2015 and in 2017 at the prestigious ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE. His work and advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ community is a hallmark of his career and he remains steadfast in his financial and artistic contributions to GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, the Matthew Shepard Foundation, AIDS Foundation Houston, The Montrose Center, the Trevor Project and other local and national charities.

As a testament to Maybach’s oeuvre and ascension to iconic fine artist, he was chosen as the Official Artist of Pride in Houston, Texas and Richmond, Virginia, respectively, culminating in the Pride Series, exhibited in Nashville, Houston, San Diego and Richmond. The Pride Series is a prolific collection exemplifying the iconic style of Maybach’s artistic evolution. It is intuitive and expressive, mixing the literal message with the subconscious to deliver the quintessential iconography of living the authentic self.

"This series of works is one of the most engaging and important of my entire career," states Maybach. "I wanted to create something to show my ongoing love and support for my community as well as the courageous men and women partaking in the #MeToo movement. As a victim of workplace sexual discrimination, I felt it was my duty to stand up and express myself at this pivotal time in history." 

The stirring movement of the series is matched in intensity by the whirring colors and dizzying organic energy emboldened on the canvas. Maybach states his message plainly yet still pulls the viewer toward introspection, as if the vortex of frenetic movement in paint could suck one into its world. This is the world of Pride: living without fear or hatred, bullying or intolerance. The world Maybach creates  time and time again in his iconic paintings.

Following the success of his Fine Art Gallery Tours, Artist-In-Residence and In Gallery Artist Appearances, and to great art-centric reviews and accolades, he harnessed the global support and interest in the artistic and spiritual evolution of Jumper Maybach to create his iconic brand with his artwork at the center of his design ethos. He remained consistently loyal to the truth and process of his artistic vision while at the helm of his own licensing and design direction, always keeping the core mission of his art integral to the products.

Jumper Maybach is the artist living the art. 

The social activism that is so essential to his artistic production is the building block upon which his global luxury brand was founded and remains fundamental to his evolution as an artist. It is now that his legacy as fine artist evolves with his move back to the brush and back to the concentration of global fine art gallery distribution; with Artist In-Residence & In-gallery Appearances. He now continues his well-recognized journey, a once-again immersion to the world of fine art that molded and manifested his message and engendered a body of work that champions diversity, advocacy and an intuitive expression of love, joy and the journey of the self from darkness to the light.

In 2023 and 2024, the acclaimed and highly Collected works of the Artist will grace top-tier Art Spaces and express his message of universal love and unconditional acceptance in the face of past trauma and adversity, as he continues to produce his prolific body of work for private collectors, corporate installations, Museum Collections and venerable galleries and fine art collections around the globe.

Highlights and Exhibitions

Upcoming Shows

Selected Museum Collections

• 2019 Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond, VA – Adam Scher, Vice President of Collections
• 2018 Virginia Museum of History & Culture – Titled “Virginia Pride #1 & Virginia Pride 2” Induction
• 2015 Museum of the Americas, Doral, FL - Dr. Raul Oyuela, Director
• 2014 Jumper Maybach Italia, Museo Nazionale Villa Pisani, Venice, Italy (curated by Dr. Bruno Francisci)
• 2014 Museo Nazionale di Villa Pisani – Titled “Venice Starburst” Induction

Awards

• Official Artist Houston LGBT Pride Ruby 40th Anniversary – Houston, Texas 2018
• Official Visiting Artist Virginia LGBT Pride Festival – Richmond, Virginia - 2018
• Artistic Merit Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts – Museo Nazionale di Villa Pisani in Stra, Venice, Italy – June 26th, 2014

Selected Solo Exhibitions

• October 8, 2022 - Jumper Maybach Open Studio
• November 12, 2022 - Jumper Maybach Open Studio
• November 29 - December 4, 2022 - Scope Miami 2022
• December 10, 2022 - Jumper Maybach Open Studio
• 2020 Abstract Series, Michele Rosen Art, Los Angeles, CA
• 2019 Pride Series: INTROSPECTION, Ocean Galleries, Avalon, NJ
• 2019 Pride Series: INTROSPECTION, Ocean Galleries, Stone Harbor, NJ
• 2019 Pride Series: INTROSPECTION, Wentworth, McLean, VA
• 2019 Pride Series: INTROSPECTION, Wentworth, Atlanta, GA
• 2018 Pride Series: INTROSPECTION, Chasen Galleries, Richmond, Virginia
• 2018 Pride Series: INTROSPECTION, Mary Hong Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee
• 2018 Pride Series: INTROSPECTION, Meyer Fine Art, San Diego, California
• 2017 Jumper Maybach, Numbers, Houston, Texas
• 2017 Jumper Maybach VIP, Artopia, Winter Street Studios, Houston, Texas
• 2016 Jumper’s Cotton Candy, MATCH Theater, Houston, Texas
• 2016 From Darkness to Light, MATCH Theater, Houston, Texas
• 2015 Jumper Maybach VIP, Artopia, Winter Street Studios, Houston, Texas
• 2013 Jumper Goes Hollywood, Aurora Street Studios, Houston, Texas
• 2013 Clownoween, Heights Art Studios, Houston, Texas

Selected Collaborative Projects

• 2013 From Dubai to California, Jumper Maybach & Pepe Serna Traveling Exhibition, Heights Art Studios, Houston, Texas (in collaboration with Pepe Serna)
• 2013 From Dubai to California, Jumper Maybach & Pepe Serna Traveling Exhibition, Los Angeles, California (in collaboration with Pepe Serna)
• 2013 Beverly Hills Art Award, Museum of the Americas, Los Angeles, California (in collaboration with Pepe Serna)

Selected Group Exhibitions

• 2024 CH-CH-Changes: Sabine Street Artists, Curated by Kelly Best Bourgeois, August 8th-October 19, 2024
• 2022 Hot Topics: Sabine Street Exhibition, August 7th thru September 21st, 2022
• 2022 Growing Pleasures Exhibition, July 7th, 2022, thru August 1st, 2022
• 2022 Moving Forward, March 24th, 2022, thru April 28th, 2022
• 2019 Our Authentic Selves, November 9th, 2019
• 2019 Abundance: A Sabine Street Exhibition
• 2018 Habitats – Artwork by Sabine Street Artists, September 8th, 2018
• 2016 Celebration Seabrook, Sea of Art Walk, Seabrook, Texas
• 2016 San Antonio Q Fest, San Antonio, Texas
• 2016 Chocolate and Art, Spring Street Studios, Houston, Texas
• 2015 Contemporary International Artists, Carrousel du Louvre, Paris, France (catalog)
• 2014 Art in Centro, Bergamo, Italy
• 2014 Art Dubai 2014 Alliance Francaise, Madinat
  Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE
• 2014 Vienna Travel Gallery, Vienna, Austria
• 2013 Gallery Kunst aan de Kade, Delft, Netherland
• 2013 Chateau de l’Epinay, Dolus le Sec, France
• 2013 Jumper Maybach Roadshow, Col.legi Metges de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
• 2013 Art Dubai 2013 International Fair, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE (catalog)

Art Fairs

• 2024 Hampton Fine Art Fair, Southampton, New York
• 2024 Art Wynwood Winter Fair, Miami, FL
• 2023 Art Miami Red Dot, Miami, FL
• 2023 Hampton Fine Art Fair, Southampton, NY
• 2022 Art Miami Red Dot, Miami, FL
• 2022 ArtExpo Dallas, Dallas, TX
• 2022 Hampton Fine Art Fair, Southampton, NY
• 2021 Art Miami Spectrum, Miami, FL