Born in 1975
Lives and works in Chicago
Education
2005
MFA, Fiber and Material Studies, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
1997
BA, Studio Art, Loyola University Chicago
Solo Exhibitions
2015
Shane Campbell Gallery, Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL
Susanne Hilberry Gallery, Ferndale, MI
2014
water sounds, Taka Ishii Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Six Circles : Four Squares, Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago, IL
MCA, Chicago
Almine Rech Gallery, Paris, France
2013
‘Wet ‘N Wild’, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York
2012
The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Overland Park, KS
2011
‘Works on paper’, SHAHEEN Modern and Contemporary Art, Cleveland, OH
The Renaissance Society at The University of Chicago, Chicago
2010
Shane Campbell Gallery, Oak Park, IL
2009
Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York
Susanne Hilberry Gallery, Detroit
2008
World Class Boxing, Death Rattle, Miami
2007
‘the axis mundi’, Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago
2006
‘When Your Heart Is on Fire, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’, Locust Projects, Miami
2005
‘A Fairy Tale’, Ingalls and Associates, Miami
‘New Artists, New Work’, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
Group Exhibitions
2016
Chicago & Vicinity, Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago, IL
2015
Surrealism: The Conjured Life, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, IL
Try again. Fail again. Fail better., Cherry and Martin, Los Angeles, CA
Defying Gravity: Interventions in Clay, Sun Valley Center for the Arts, Sun Valley, ID
Soft Core, Invisible-Exports, New York, NY
Organic Sculpture, Alison Jacques Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Small Sculpture, Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago, IL
2014
Platform, curated by Nicolas Trembley, Almine Rech Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
New Image Painting, Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago, IL
‘Iconoclasts: Art out of the Mainstream’, Saatchi Gallery, London
The Drawing Center, New York
‘Objectified: Sculpture Today’, Saatchi Gallery, London
Art on Paper 2014: The 43rd Exhibition, Weathersoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC
Kayla Guthrie, William J. O’Brien, Mckeever Donovan, Annabeth Marks, U.S. BLUES, Brooklyn, NY
KILN, curated by Tiffany Zabludowicz, Leila Heller Gallery, New York, NY
2013
DNA: Strands of Abstraction, curated by Paul Sinclaire, Loretta Howard Gallery, New York, NY
2012
‘All Good Things Become Wild and Free’, The H.F. Johnson Gallery of Art at Carthage College, Kenosha, WI
‘Phantom Limb: Approaches to Painting Today’, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Chicago
‘Someone Puts a Pineapple Together’, Acme, Los Angeles
2011
‘Painted’, The Green Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
Painting…Expanded, Espacio 1414, Santurce, Puerto Rico
‘Works on paper’, SHAHEEN Modern and Contemporary Art, Cleveland, OH
‘Josh Faught and William J. O’Brien’, Lisa Cooley Gallery, New York Witte de With, Rotterdam
2010
‘The Maginot Line’, David Castillo Gallery, Miami
‘New Icon’, Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago
‘Mystic Visage’, World Class Boxing space of the Debra and Dennis Scholl Collection, Miami
‘At Home/Not at Home: Works from the Collection of Martin and Rebecca
Eisenberg’, Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
‘L’AUR’AMARA’, Gallery MC, New York; Travels to Paris, Générale en Manufacture; Milan, Centro Ricerche Accademia di Brera ex Chiesa di S.Carpoforo (CRAB)
2009
‘In Stitches’, Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery, New York
‘Selected Works from the MCA Collection’, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
‘An Expanded Field of Possibilities’, Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, Santa Barbara, CA
2008
‘Now You See It’, Aspen Art Museum, Aspen, CO
‘Base:Object’, Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York
‘Andy Coolquitt, Frank Haines, William J. O’Brien’, Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna
‘Jesuvian Process’, Elizabeth Dee Gallery, New York
2007
‘Project Space, William O’Brien / Anthony Pearson’, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York
‘Makers And Modelers’, Barbara Gladstone Gallery, New York
‘Sonotube ® Forms: Contemporary Art and Transport’, Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, Santa Barbara, CA
‘Jesse Chapman, Aliza Nisenbaum, William J. O’Brien’, Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago
‘So Wrong, I’m Right’, Blum & Poe, Los Angeles
‘Stuff: International Contemporary Art from the Collection of Burt Aaron’, Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit
2006
‘Modern Primitivism’, Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago
’Josh Mannis, Eric Lebofsky, William J. O’Brien’, Western Exhibitions, Chicago
‘MIXART’, The James Hotel, Chicago
‘Pathetisize’, Open End Gallery, Chicago
‘Champagne’, Nina Menocal Projects, Mexico City
‘Cluster’, Participant Inc, New York
2005
‘Certain People I Know’, Margaret Thatcher Projects, New York
‘We Created a Monster’, Nina Menocal Projects for Art Basel, New York
‘CoDependent’, The Living Room for Art Basel, Miami
‘Winter Group Show’, Booster and Seven, Chicago
‘Eagle Hand’s Moon and The Orange Savior’, The Church of the Friendly Ghost, Austin
‘Summer Group Show’, Contemporary Art Workshop, Chicago
‘Bilingual’, Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Chicago
‘Drawn Out’, Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, Chicago
‘In Print2’, Diamonds on Archer, Chicago
‘Macerate’, Around the Coyote Gallery, Chicago
‘M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition’, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
‘Stygine’s Creek’, Video Screening, Three-Walls Gallery, Chicago
‘Take My Hand’, Nina Menocal Gallery, Mexico City
‘Appropriating Feminist Strategies’, Gallery 1926, Chicago
‘Take My Hand’, Three-Walls Gallery, Chicago
2004
‘Night of 1,000 Drawings’, Artist Space, New York
‘Click Formation’, Open End Gallery, Chicago
‘The Pilot Conference’, Symbology Bathroom, Chicago
‘The Affair’, Jupiter Hotel, The Fresh-Up Club, Portland
‘Identity Crisis’, Marshall Arts @ Delta Axis, Memphis
‘Art Poster Show’, Objex Artspace, Miami
‘G2’, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago
‘Abracadabra’, Rocket Projects, Miami
‘3 on 3, Straight Artists Curate 3 Gay Artists’, Higher Gallery, Chicago
‘Eric Lebofsky, Josh Mannis, William O’Brien’, 1/Quarterly Space, Chicago
‘Art Mule’, The Stray Show, Chicago
‘Small Victories’, Modest Contemporary Art Projects, Chicago
2003
‘La Superrette’, Deitch Projects, Participant, Inc., New York
‘100% Cotton’, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow
‘White Haute’, Shaff Gallery, Chicago
2001
‘Annual Members Show’, Greenwich House Pottery, New York
‘Out and About’, Benefit Invitation Group Show, SPACES Gallery, Cleveland
1997
‘Undergraduate Thesis Show’, Crown Center Gallery, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago
Public Collections
Cleveland Clinic, Ohio
New York Presbyterian Hospital
Miami Art Museum
Hara Museum of Art, Japan
Awards
Recipient of Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award, 2011
Artadia: The Fund for Art & Dialogue, 2007 Chicago Finalist, Grant Recipient
Vermont Studio Center, Full Fellowship Residency
Mellon Award, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL
