Collection: JonOne

JonOne (John Andrew Perello, born in New York in 1963) is one of the leading figures of painting born from graffiti. Galerie Bonnet-Abelin represents him in Lyon and dedicates its third solo show to him from 17 September to 10 October 2026 — discover the exhibition and register for the opening.

From Harlem to Paris: the making of a legend

A child of Harlem, JonOne earned his stripes at seventeen tagging the walls and subway cars of his neighbourhood — “the subway is a museum that runs through the city,” he would later say. In 1984 he founded the 156 All Starz collective, named after his street, 156th. Even then he stood apart from his peers: where graffiti prized lettering and speed, JonOne pursued the movement of colour, bringing the brush where others knew only the spray can.

Invited by the artist Bando, he settled in Paris in 1987 and soon joined the Hôpital Éphémère, the legendary studio where the avant-garde of the urban scene crossed paths. His first solo exhibition, “Graffitism”, took place in Berlin in 1990. Tokyo, Monaco, Geneva, New York, Hong Kong and Brussels followed: his passage from street to canvas earned him international recognition, nourished by the masters he claims — Miró, Kandinsky, Pollock, de Kooning.

Consecration

In 2015 JonOne was awarded the Légion d'honneur; his painting “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité” was unveiled at the Palais Bourbon, seat of the French National Assembly. His collaborations with Lacoste, Air France, Hennessy, Guerlain and Perrier have carried his gesture into everyday life, while his canvases command attention at international auctions and in collections worldwide. His gestural abstraction — explosive, dense, saturated with colour — is now instantly recognisable, poised between the legacy of New York graffiti and abstract expressionism.

JonOne and Galerie Bonnet-Abelin

The gallery works directly with the artist and has devoted two solo exhibitions to him in Lyon: the Brazilian series in summer 2024, followed by “Abstraction from the Street” in spring 2025. In March 2026 it presented him alongside John “Crash” Matos at the Urban Art Fair in Paris, for the fair's tenth-anniversary edition — an event covered by Connaissance des Arts. The third chapter opens on Thursday 17 September 2026, with a body of new works presented as a world premiere at the gallery, in the artist's presence at the opening. All details are available here.

Acquiring a work by JonOne

The works presented below — acrylics and inks on canvas, from cabinet formats to large-scale pieces — are available at the gallery, 36 avenue Foch, Lyon 6ᵉ, where they can be viewed by appointment. Each work comes with its certificate of authenticity. The gallery, currently preparing its Geneva location, also assists Swiss and international collectors. Prices, full documentation and acquisition advice on request: contact@galeriebonnetabelin.com. The gallery also supports companies through art leasing solutions.