James Peter Henry is an Australian-born, US-based artist whose work is influenced by Cubism, African Art and Australian Aboriginal Art. He currently lives in Los Angeles and New York City. James is currently represented by Maddox Gallery, as well as Design And Manage, which commissions large-scale mural projects. He previously worked with Peris Contemporary. His mural at La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood became part of the inaugural edition of Frieze Los Angeles.
Early history
James grew up on a farm in Victoria Australia, one of several children in his family. As a child, he and his siblings explored the caves near his family’s property, and discovered cave paintings estimated to be several thousand years old. These cave drawings were his earliest experience of art, and served as a blueprint for what art could be. He began to learn how to paint himself by working with his mother. He was not aware this was an unusual skill. In 2019, he told LA Weekly, "As a kid I didn’t realize that I was different than most people, I just thought, 'I can do this and so can everyone else.' As an adult, I realized I was different when people would be mesmerized by watching me draw. That’s when I realized that not everyone thinks of art like I do. Art for me is like breathing, I just have to draw and paint, I have to do something creative. In high school, James was encouraged by art teachers to pursue painting and other mediums. At the age of 17, he held his first solo exhibition. James forwent art school to be a self taught artist.
Murals
Since moving to LosAngeles, James has produced a number of large scale murals. In 2019, he was commissioned by the La Peer Hotel in West Hollywood to produce a mural around their pool. His paintings were also exhibited as part of the hotel's collection, and at an event called Art After Dark. Also in 2019, James created a massive mural for the rooftop of the iconic Santa Fe Lofts in Downtown Los Angeles, officially making his art part of the LA skyline.
