Karl Wirsum (b. 1939, d. 2021, Chicago, IL; lived and worked in Chicago, Illinois) was an artist associated with the Chicago Imagists. In 1966, Wirsum began exhibiting alongside Jim Nutt, Suellen Rocca, Art Green, Gladys Nilsson, and Jim Falconer under the name Hairy Who?. The Hairy Who? exhibitions took place in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, between 1966 and 1969, drawing international attention and influencing generations of artists. Working across painting, drawing, and sculpture, he developed a distinctive visual language centered on stylized figures, bold patterning, and vibrant color. His compositions are built through graphic line and flat, decorative surfaces, often emphasizing repetition and symmetry. His imagery draws from a wide range of sources, including comics, folk art, and non-Western traditions, which he combined into highly idiosyncratic, character-driven forms. Figures appear animated and rhythmic, constructed through simplified shapes and intricate surface detail. Through this approach, Wirsum created works that balance structure and play, using color, line, and pattern to produce compositions that feel both carefully ordered and improvisational.
He earned a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1961.
Wirsum’s work has been exhibited at the Gallery since 2010. He has had solo exhibitions at Matthew Marks Gallery, New York (2024); Corbett vs Dempsey, Chicago (2019); and Martinos, Athens, Greece (2018), among others. He has also been in numerous group shows including at George Adams Gallery, New York (2024); San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose (2023); Venus over Manhattan, New York (2023); Analog Diary, Beacon (2022); MCA Chicago (2020); Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art, London, UK (2019); and The Art Institute of Chicago (2018); Fondazione Prada, Milan, Italy (2017). Wirsum's works are in numerous public collections such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Museum of Modern Art, New York; High Museum of Art, Atlanta; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia; Minneapolis Institute of Art; Art Institute of Chicago; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; and the Rhode Island School of Design Art Museum.