Born in 1978 in Miami, Florida, Hernan Bas creates works born of literary intrigue and tinged with nihilistic romanticism and old world imagery. Influenced by the Aesthetic and Decadent writers of the 19th century, in particular Oscar Wilde, Charles Baudelaire and Joris-Karl Huysman, Bas’s works weave together stories of adolescent adventures and the paranormal with classical poetry, religious stories, mythology and literature. His varied influences also include classic horror films, comics, television, art history, the occult and fairy tales. His paintings are a patchwork of figuration and abstraction; they feature classical subjects like interiors, landscapes and portraits. He experiments with various techniques and materials such as airbrush, wood block, acrylic, gold leaf and house paint. Before embarking on a new series, Bas does general, rather than in-depth, research into a subject. Furthermore, Bas feels that he doesn’t depict actual individuals or events in history but invents scenes inspired by various historical periods. Bas has typically depicted his figures as young men in a period of life change—specifically the transitional moment between boyhood and manhood. His subjects often appear unsettled, timid and insecure. While the male figure features prominently in Bas’ paintings, he does not view these as self-portraits. Bas divides his time between Detroit and Miami, cities that lie outside of major established art centers, yet have strong emerging art communities. The influence of these cities on Bas’ work can be seen in atmospheric and thematic cues.
Solo exhibitions of Bas’ work have been organized by Centro De Arte Contemporáneo Málaga, Málaga, Spain (2018); Colby College Art Museum, Waterville, ME (2018); SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, GA (2017); Bass Museum of Art, Miami, FL (2013); and the Rubell Family Collection, Miami, FL (2007), which subsequently traveled to the Brooklyn Museum of Art (2008). Bas has participated in a number of important group exhibitions, including The Collectors,curated by Elmgreen & Dragset for the Nordic and Danish Pavilions at the 53rd Venice Biennale (2009); Triumph of Painting: Part III, Saatchi Gallery, London, and Ideal Worlds – New Romanticism in Contemporary Art, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt (both 2005); and the 2004 Whitney Biennale. In 2014, Rizzoli published a monograph on the artist, the most comprehensive book of his work to date. His work is part of the permanent collections of New York’s Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art; as well as the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among others.
赫爾南·巴斯（1978年生於美國佛羅裏達州邁阿密）的作品充滿文學暗示，並帶有虛無的浪漫主義色彩與舊世界的意象。受到19世紀的唯美和頹廢派作家，尤其是王爾德和於斯曼的影響，巴斯把少年的冒險故事、超常現象與古典詩詞、宗教故事、神話和文學共冶一爐。於2014年出版的巴斯專題著作，是目前為其藝術作品作最詳細介紹的著作。巴斯目前主要定居於美國邁阿密及密切根州的底特律市，並在兩地設有工作室。
巴斯曾參與多個重要的群體展覽，當中包括在第53屆威尼斯雙年展北歐及丹麥展館由Elmgreen & Dragset策劃的「The Collectors」（2009年）、英國倫敦薩奇畫廊的「Triumph of Painting: Part III」（2005年）、法國法蘭克福錫恩美術館的「New Romanticism in Contemporary Art」（2005年）和美國惠特尼雙年展（2014年）。他的作品被多個美術館永久收藏，包括美國紐約布魯克林藝術博物館、美國現代藝術博物館和惠特尼美國藝術博物館；以及美國華盛頓特區赫希洪博物館和雕塑園、洛杉磯當代藝術博物館、北邁阿密當代藝術博物館和舊金山現代藝術博物館等。