Jack Pierson, born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, studied at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. Pierson has made a name for himself with a body of work that includes photographs, collages, word sculptures, installations, drawings and artists books.

His "Self-Portrait" series was shown in the 2004 Whitney Biennial and his works are collected by major museums worldwide. Jack Pierson currently divides his time between his home and studio in the Southern California desert near Joshua Tree National Park and New York. He has photographed many well-known celebrities and models, including Michael Bergin, Naomi Campbell, Snoop Dogg, Massimiliano Neri, Brad Pitt, and Antonio Sabato Jr.

Pierson is openly gay. He curated a show at the Paul Kasmin Gallery in 2006 titled "The Name of This Show Is Not: Gay Art Now." He had both gay and straight, established and emerging artists present their works.