Known for his dramatic paintings of man pushing the limits of nature through technology and physical stamina, Kagan explores the physical and emotional journey that accompanies explorers from mountaineers to astronauts. Never removing paint once laid down, Kagan instinctively works with an impulsive hand toeing the line between control and chaos.

Born in 1980 in Virginia Beach, Michael Kagan received his BA from The George Washington University and MFA from New York Academy of Art, where he also completed a postgraduate fellowship in 2005.

Special projects include a commission from The Smithsonian, two apparel collaborations with Pharrell Williams, and album cover artwork for The White Lies album Big TV which won an Art Vinyl award for Best Art Vinyl, 2013. He has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions worldwide including Over The Influence, Hong Kong (2021);  Over The Influence, Los Angeles, CA, USA (2020); Half Gallery, New York, NY, USA (2020); Harper’s Books, East Hampton, NY, USA (2020); Nino Meir Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA (2020); Bill Brady Gallery, Miami, FL, USA (2018); and a recent solo exhibition at Virginia MOCA, Virginia Beach, VA, USA (2019/2020). Kagan’s work is in the collections of the Hall Collection, Reading, VT, USA; Maezawa Collection, Chiba, Japan; Maki Collection, Tokyo, Japan; Gemini Trust Company, New York, NY, USA; Fidelity Investments Corporate Contemporary Art Collection, Boston, MA, USA; Founders Fund, San Francisco, CA, USA; and Jacob & Co., New York, NY, USA amongst others. A recent monograph of his work was released in 2019 by ARTBOOK | DAP.