James Jean

In 2019, Jean brought his largest solo exhibition so far, "Eternal Journey", to Seoul's Lotte Museum of Art. This exhibit was divided into five sections according to the colors of Asian philosophy (red, blue, black, white, and yellow). Jean showcased over 500 artworks, including new pieces which were inspired by Seoul's modernity. One notable piece was the 10 meter wide painting "Descendants -- Blue Wood." This piece was inspired by the Lotte World Tower and its resemblance to the fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk. Other artworks include drawings, sculptures, and various installations.

Jean currently has seven published works, all of which collect his illustrations and art: Process Recess volumes 1 - 3 (v2 & v3 have both a regular and a special edition), Fables: Covers, XOXO and Kindling:12 Removable Prints. Kindling is an oversized poster book featuring works from Jean's 2009 gallery show of the same name. The Process Recess volumes display Jean's process in his illustrations, by showing both the original sketches and the final coloring, Process Recess is also the name of his blog, which includes similar content. Fables: Covers is a collection of the cover art illustrations James Jean has made for the comic book series Fables. XOXO is a selection of his illustrations displayed in the form of postcards.

In 2008, Jean retired from illustration projects in order to focus on painting. Jean draws from his Taiwanese American background as a source of inspiration in his artwork. He often incorporates traditional Chinese and Japanese aesthetics into his pieces which focus on contemporary subjects, working to dismantle the distinction between commercial and fine art by creating surreal imagery driven by a narrative. His Figure Studies contain some portraits of Sasha Grey. In the summer of 2015, Jean was commissioned to paint a large-scale mural for the annual POW! WOW! Hawai`i Art Event at the Honolulu Museum of Art's Luce Pavilion. In the winter of 2015, Jean was chosen by Apple Inc. to help launch the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. For Chinese New Year of 2016, Jean collaborated with Beats by Dre by creating exclusive art for a limited edition pair of headphones.

In 2008, Jean again collaborated with Prada, developing an animated short based on the wallpapers, clothing, and accessories produced in 2007. He wrote, storyboarded, and did the visual development for the animation, which would be eventually titled "Trembled Blossoms", taken from the poem "Ode to Psyche”, by John Keats.

In 2007, Jean created a mural for the Prada Epicenter stores in New York and Los Angeles. He also created a backdrop for Prada's Spring/Summer 2008 show in Milan.

Jean was born in Taiwan and raised in New Jersey. Growing up, Jean was interested in playing music, specifically the trumpet. However, he turned toward art instead as he pursued a higher education. He attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, from which he graduated in 2001.

In 2001, Jean became a cover artist for DC Comics and Marvel Comics, garnering seven Eisner awards, three consecutive Harvey awards, two gold medals and a silver from the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, and a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators of New York. He also worked in advertising, and has contributed to many national and international publications. His clients included Time Magazine, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Spin, ESPN, Atlantic Records, Target, Linkin Park, Playboy, Knopf, Prada among others. He illustrated covers for the comic book series Fables and The Umbrella Academy, for which he has won six Eisner Awards for "Best Cover Artist". In 2006, he won Best Artist from the World Fantasy Awards. He also did the album art for My Chemical Romance 's album The Black Parade, which was released in 2006.