Jorge Nesbitt (b. 1972) studied Drawing and Painting at Ar.Co. in Lisbon, completing the Advanced Course in Fine Arts in 1998. He lives and works in Lisbon.
Nesbitt's work is distinguished by its ability to forge unexpected associations, seamlessly blending literary influences—particularly inspired by Gertrude Stein—with pictorial references that range from 17th-century Dutch painting to Picasso’s modernism. This fusion, combined with his remarkable technical versatility, lends his work a singular originality and deeply personal character.
With a unique capacity to contextualize his creations in the present, Nesbitt incorporates humor and poetry in ways that encapsulate the essence of contemporary artistic practice. Reflecting on his work, Manuel Castro Caldas suggests that the artist seeks to reconfigure the future with images or words—not merely in images or words—perhaps the very essence of his work.
Since 1999, Nesbitt has exhibited regularly in both solo and group exhibitions. Notable showcases include the Ariane de Rothschild Prize at Palácio das Galveias, Lisbon; Spring Selections – Emerging Artists at The Drawing Center, New York; and the Gramercy International Contemporary Art Fair, New York.
His works are held in prestigious collections, including the Carmona e Costa Foundation, the Ar.Co. Collection (Lisbon), the Pedro Cabrita Reis Collection, the Joana Vasconcelos Foundation and MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture, and Technology. His work is also part of major private contemporary art collections, such as those of Ariane de Rothschild and Christian Louboutin, among others.
Nesbitt remains a significant voice in contemporary art, continually exploring and redefining the boundaries between art and literature.