About Matt Mullican
Born 1951. Matt Mullican is an American sculptor, visual artist, painter, installation artist, performing artist and printmaker.
Matt Mullican (born September 18, 1951) is an American artist and educator. He is the child of artists Lee Mullican and Luchita Hurtado. Mullican lives and works in both Berlin and New York City.
Early life and education Matt Mullican was born on September 18, 1951, in Santa Monica, California, to parents Lee Mullican and Luchita Hurtado. His mother was Venezuela born. In childhood he lived in Caracas, Venezuela for one year.
Since the 1970s, Mullican has been known for his performances done while under hypnosis. During these performances, Mullican channels an alter ego known as 'That Person', who displays extreme and erratic behavior. Drawings made by Mullican while hypnotized are frequently exhibited and attributed to 'That Person'.
Mullican's work has been exhibited nationally and internationally since the early 1970s at venues including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Haus Der Kunst, Munich, Germany, the National Galerie, Berlin, Germany, the Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam, Netherlands, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA, and The Museum of Modern Art, NY. Mullican's work has been reviewed in Artforum, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, The New York Times, and Modern Painters, among others. Mullican has been exhibited in 2017 on the Petit Palais' facade in Paris during the FIAC art fair with his giant piece of art "For Worlds Between Five".
Teaching Mullican was a professor at the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg (German: Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg) in Hamburg, Germany, from 2009 to 2018. He has also taught and lectured at Columbia University; The School of Visual Arts; the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam; The London Institute; and the Chelsea College of Art and Design.
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Important facts
People in Matt Mullican's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Matt Mullican's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Matt Mullican?
American visual artist (born 1951)
When was Matt Mullican born?
Matt Mullican was born on 18 September 1951 in Santa Monica.
What is Matt Mullican's occupation?
Matt Mullican is a sculptor, visual artist, painter, installation artist, performing artist and printmaker.
What nationality is Matt Mullican?
Matt Mullican is American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Matt Mullican. https://biography.guide/matt-mullican/
MLA: "Matt Mullican." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/matt-mullican/.
Chicago: "Matt Mullican." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/matt-mullican/.
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