Jim Nutt, a Chicago Imagist painter, whose work has been described as, "crude, childish, expressionist works," gained recognition in the late 1960s as part of "The Hairy Who" group of painters. Drawings and paintings depict fantastic characters in humorous or sarcastic scenes. Twisted figures reminiscent of Cubism in that one figure may possess several faces, possibly expressing different feelings. The theatrics can be arousing and mysteriously intimidating, and although (or perhaps because) Nutt adds oddly placed captions and obscure titles, the situations remain unexplainable.

Eric Fischl has said, "The underbelly, (carnival) world of Ed Paschke and the hilarious sexual vulgarity of Jim Nutt were revelatory experiences for me."
Nutt, born in 1938, was educated at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, receiving a BFA in 1965. In the fall of 1968, Nutt was teaching and running the art gallery at Sacramento State College. He received an award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; NEA Grants; and a Cassandra Foundation Award. He has exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago; Nolan/Eckman Gallery, New York City; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Museum of Modern Art, New York City; and the Venice Biennale. His work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City; Milwaukee Art Museum; Scottish National Museum, Glasgow; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City.

Source:

Les Krantz, "American Artists, Illustrated Survey of Leading Contemporary Artists"

http://www.artic.edu/saic/programs/faculty/facbios2.html#jnutt
www.ericfischl.com/biography.htm