For the past three decades, John has been immersed in the dynamic art communities of New York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, and Vienna. In 1994, he earned his MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, where he studied under the esteemed actionist artist Arnulf Rainer. These formative experiences have profoundly shaped his approach as a global art advisor, enriched by close connections with leading contemporary collectors.

John’s art interests span the globe, with a particular focus on cutting edge artists in Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa, and the United States. He has curated exhibitions in key cultural hubs such as New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, and Berlin, consistently exploring the intersections of identity, sustainability, and spirituality in art. Each project presents an opportunity to expand the boundaries of dialogue, fostering meaningful connections between artists and audiences worldwide.

john@johnsilvis.com
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Exhibitions (Selection)

  • Close to Home: Art from around the World in the Ahmanson Collection
    Ahmanson Gallery, Los Angeles

    Mulyana, White Out_Memory
    Sapar Contemporary, New York

    Kieran Dodds, The Church Forests of Ethiopia
    The McMillan Center at Yale University, New Haven, CT

    Face Value: Portraiture in the Ahmanson Collection
    Ahmanson Gallery, Los Angeles (forthcoming)

  • Mulyana: Modular Utopia
    USC Fisher Museum of Art, Los Angeles

    Ex Nihilo: Eight Days of Creation, by Maja Lisa Engelhardt
    Ahmanson Gallery, Los Angeles

    Heading Home: Glimpses of New Jerusalem, by Kieran Dodds
    Ahmanson Gallery, Los Angeles

  • Making a Mark: Abstraction in the Ahmanson Collection
    Ahmanson Gallery, Los Angeles (20 artists)

    Fragile Ecologies
    Mulyana, Sapar Contemporary, New York.

Catalogs (Selection)

  • Close to Home: Art from around the World in the Ahmanson Collection
    Ahmanson Gallery, Pinatubo Press

    Face Value: Portraiture in the Ahmanson Collection (↗ View catalog) 
    Ahmanson Gallery, Los Angeles

    Stefan Piëch, 36 Years of Painting, Edited by John Silvis
    VFMK Vienna

  • Ex Nihilo-Maja Lisa Engelhardt, Eight Days of Creation
    Ahmanson Gallery, Los Angeles. (Catalog)

    Heading Home: Glimpses of New Jerusalem
    Kieran Dodds, Ahmanson Gallery, Pintatubo Press

  • Making a Mark: Abstraction in the Ahmanson Collection
    Ahmanson Gallery, Los Angeles (20 artists) (Catalog)

  • 2020  
    Interface: Art and Community in the Ahmanson Collection (↗ View catalog)
    Pinatubo Press

    2019
    In Quest of Beauty: Assemblage in the Ahmanson Collection
    Pinatubo Press

    2018
    Exclusive: Paintings of Private Members Clubs in Los Angeles
    Pinatubo Press
    Recent paintings by London based painter Anna Freeman Bentley. 

    Hierotopia: The Sacred Living Landscape. Kieran Dodds
    Pinatubo Press
    Exhibition of 42 large photographs from the travels of Scottish photographer Kieran Dodds throughout the Northern, rural areas of Ethiopia.

    2017
    Pippa Garner: Ulterior Motor Vehicle
    Pioneer Works Press, with Alta Buden, p.45-54

    Define Gravity: Sculpture in the Ahmanson Collection (↗ View catalog)
    Pinatubo Press
    32 sculptural works from the collection of the Ahmanson Collection, ranging from the historic to contemporary positions.  

    Souvenirs from the Wasteland
    An ongoing series of 20 paintings, inspired by a selection of postcards in the Ahmanson Collection, by Alastair Gordon
    Pinatubo Press                        

    2016
    Under Heaven: Contemporary Art from China in the Ahmanson Collection
    Pinatubo Press

    Chapel: Steven and William Ladd
    Pinatubo Press

    The Kidnapping!
    Catalog for the multi-media installation and video by Zebadiah Keneally, OUTLET Fine Art, Brooklyn

    2015
    Warp and Weft, Chain Stitch and Pearl: Textiles in the Ahmanson Collection   
    Pinatubo Press
    This exhibition takes a look at 15 contemporary artists from six different countries working in the expansive textile medium.

    2014
    Alan Kleinberg — Portraits
    Black and white vintage portraits made between 1973-79 of New York’s downtown art, music, and film scene. 

    2011  
    Coming and Going
    Positions in Global Contemporary Art from the collection of Peter Kang / New York City, curated by Donald Johnson Montenegro Luhring
    Augustine Gallery, New York