Jay DeFeo

American painter and photographer (1929–1989)
Person human Q15522104
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Summary

Jay DeFeo was born on March 31, 1929[1], in Hanover[2]. She died on November 11, 1989[3], in Oakland[4]. She worked as a painter[5], visual artist[6], sculptor[7], photographer[8], and artist[9]. She ranks in the top 0.73% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (285 views/month, #7,272 of 1,000,298).[10]

Key Facts

  • Spouse: Wally Hedrick[11]
  • Country of citizenship: United States[12]
  • Employer: Mills College at Northeastern University[13]
  • Educated at: University of California, Berkeley[14], San Jose High School[15]
  • Sex or gender: female[16]
  • Movement: abstract expressionism[17]
  • Genre: painting[18], abstract art[19]
  • Family name: DeFeo[20]
  • Given name: Mary[21], Joan[22], Mary Joan[23]
  • Official website: http://www.jaydefeo.org[24]
  • Work location: Florence[25], Berkeley[26], Oakland[27]
  • Represented by: Artists Rights Society[28]
  • On focus list of Wikimedia project: Art+Feminism[29], WikiProject PCC Wikidata Pilot/Frick Art Reference Library[30], WikiProject PCC Wikidata Pilot — Smithsonian Libraries — Artists Files[31]
  • Copyright representative: reproduction right represented by CISAC-member[32], Jay DeFeo Foundation[33], Artists Rights Society[34]
  • Has works in the collection: Art Institute of Chicago[35], Tate[36], San Francisco Museum of Modern Art[37], Museum of Modern Art[38], Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco[39], Smithsonian American Art Museum[40], Los Angeles County Museum of Art[41], Whitney Museum of American Art[42]

Why It Matters

Jay DeFeo has Wikipedia articles in 5 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[43] She is known by 8 alternative names across languages and contexts.[44]

FAQs

Where was Jay DeFeo born?

Jay DeFeo was born in Hanover[2].

Where did Jay DeFeo die?

Jay DeFeo passed away in Oakland[4].

Who was Jay DeFeo married to?

Jay DeFeo's spouses include Wally Hedrick[11].

What did Jay DeFeo do for work?

Jay DeFeo worked as a painter[5], visual artist[6], sculptor[7], photographer[8], and artist[9].

Where did Jay DeFeo go to school?

Jay DeFeo was educated at University of California, Berkeley[14] and San Jose High School[15].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] ↑ . Great Norwegian Encyclopedia. Retrieved . doi.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  2. [4] ↑ . Great Norwegian Encyclopedia. Retrieved . doi.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  3. [16] ↑ . Union List of Artist Names. Retrieved . workwithdata.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  4. [11] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  5. [12] ↑ . Museum of Modern Art online collection. Retrieved . workwithdata.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  6. [14] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  7. [15] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  8. [5] ↑ . Union List of Artist Names. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  9. [6] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  10. [7] ↑ . Encyclopædia Britannica Online. wikidata.org.
  11. [8] ↑ . Union List of Artist Names. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  12. [9] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . workwithdata.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  13. [13] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  14. [17] ↑ . jaydefeofoundation.org. jaydefeofoundation.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  15. [18] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  16. [19] ↑ . sjmusart.org. sjmusart.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  17. [1] ↑ . CLARA. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  18. [3] ↑ . CLARA. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  19. [20] ↑ . Encyclopædia Britannica Online. wikidata.org.
  20. [21] ↑ . Encyclopædia Britannica Online. wikidata.org.
  21. [22] ↑ . Encyclopædia Britannica Online. wikidata.org.
  22. [23] ↑ . Union List of Artist Names. wikidata.org.
  23. [24] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  24. [25] ↑ . jaydefeofoundation.org. jaydefeofoundation.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  25. [26] ↑ . jaydefeofoundation.org. jaydefeofoundation.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  26. [27] ↑ . jaydefeofoundation.org. jaydefeofoundation.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  27. [28] ↑ . arsny.com. Retrieved . arsny.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  28. [29] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  29. [30] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  30. [31] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  31. [32] ↑ . DACS register. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  32. [33] ↑ . Museum of Modern Art online collection. Retrieved . jaydefeo.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  33. [34] ↑ . Museum of Modern Art online collection. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  34. [35] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  35. [36] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  36. [37] ↑ . San Francisco Museum of Modern Art online collection. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  37. [38] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  38. [39] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  39. [40] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  40. [41] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  41. [42] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [10] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [43] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [44] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Jay DeFeo. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/jay-defeo
MLA “Jay DeFeo.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 17 Oct. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/jay-defeo.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_jay-defeo_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Jay DeFeo}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/jay-defeo}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-17}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 2d ago · OKA bot bot · 2026-10-17 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Wikipedia languages → ['arz', 'az', 'cy', 'de', 'en', 'es', 'fr', 'hy', 'ru']
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbeditentity-statements-multiple-properties-update:0||4 */ source for place of birth, source for place of death, source for date of birth, source for date of death from Store norske leksikon ([[Wik"
  2. 14w ago · Geagea · 2026-07-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    National library of israel j9u id → 987014058857605171
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ National library of israel j9u id: 987014058857605171, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1783595065105; Based on LC id in the National Library of Israel"
  3. 21w ago · KrBot bot · 2026-05-22 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation → painter, visual artist, sculptor +2
    Website → —
    Copyright status as a creator → works protected by copyrights
    Sex or gender → female
    + 25 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbsetclaimvalue:1| */ Occupation: photographer, см. / see [[Template:Autofix|autofix]] на / on [[Property talk:P106]]"
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