LAMAMIMET

Jerry Moriarty was born on January 15, 1938, in Binghamton, New York. He entered the Pratt Institute in 1956, earning a BFA in 1960. Initially working as a freelance magazine illustrator, he supported his early Abstract Expressionist paintings before shifting focus in 1963. Moriarty became a longtime teacher at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, where he influenced generations of artists. He described himself as a "paintoonist," blending cartooning with fine art. His first solo exhibition was held in SoHo in 1974, followed by notable shows in Chelsea, at the SVA Museum, and the CUE Art Foundation. In 1977, he received a National Endowment for the Arts grant. Moriarty gained recognition in the comics world with his work "Jack Survives," first published in Art Spiegelman's avant-garde magazine RAW in 1980. The piece was later collected and republished in 2009 as The Complete Jack Survives. His other projects included "A Visual Crime," featured in the 1990 anthology Gin & Comix, and the "Sally's Surprise" series of multi-panel paintings. Fellow artist Chris Ware praised him for introducing solemnity and timelessness into a medium often defined by sensationalism. Moriarty's legacy lies in his unique fusion of painting and narrative, bridging the gap between high art and comics.