Thom Merrick

Thom Merrick (January 1, 1963, in Sacramento, California) is an American artist. He attended the San Francisco Art Institute, and emerged in the mid 1980s, represented by pioneer gallerists Colin de Land (b. 1955–2003) and Pat Hearn (b. 1955 - d. 2000) in New York City. He exhibited throughout Europe, represented by the prominent minimalist art dealer and collector Rolf Ricke, in Cologne, and by the conceptual, Galerie Susanna Kulli, in St. Gallen, among others.

Thom Merrick is known for creating formally challenging works in different media with a keen awareness of art history. Making a name for himself early in his career, he created works, paintings, sculpture and installations, by reacting to the immediate environment with industrial materials and simplified forms, or whatever material was at-hand. From the late 1980s to the late 1990s he created his works on-site, in situ to the exhibition hall. These works aim to break down the boundary of artistic identity, production and requisite classifications. In short, Thom Merrick’s art is uncanny—he creates spare and non-repetitive works that are abbreviated; each part reveals a complex code of a contemporary art practice, that is self-critical, adjudicating what is and is not.