Jean Matthiessen

Jean Matthiessen, of Binghamton, New York, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on February 29 after a courageous three year battle with lung cancer. Jean was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, to Joseph and Jean Luongo. Before completing her MFA from the Pratt Institute in 1984, where she received a Max Weber Scholarship, she earned a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in 1981 and studied at the Art Students League of New York. Jean was known for her artistic  integrity, puckish humor, and generosity of spirit. A lifelong visual artist, Jean began exhibiting her work in group shows in 1985, joining many galleries in New York City, the Hudson Valley, Long Island, and New York’s Southern Tier. After graduate school, she began focusing on commissioned pieces and worked as an Art Director for various publications, including Screw Magazine, Rallying Point, Rock Magazine, Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine, and Newsweek International. In 1986, Jean married Lucas Matthiessen. They had three children, Christopher, Andrew, and Joseph.
Jean was predeceased by her son, Christopher, and sister, Diane. She is survived by her loving sons Andrew and Joseph, brothers Joseph and Raymond, and two adoring nieces, Marjorie and Kimberly, who worshiped her as “the coolest aunt ever.”
A Celebration of her Life will be held at Binghamton’s Cooperative Gallery on April 19, the anniversary of her birth. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Mercy House of the Southern Tier.

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