Elizabeth Peyton
1965
Elizabeth Peyton (American, b.1965) is a leading Contemporary Figurative painter, best known for her portraits of celebrities and musicians. Peyton grew up in Danbury, CT and attended the School of Visual Arts in New York. She displayed an early disposition towards portraiture—frequently painting her friends depicted as protagonists from books in her work—while attending school.
After graduation, Peyton worked several jobs, but was slow to receive recognition of her work, holding only one solo exhibition in six years. In 1993, her second solo exhibition, which featured images of famous historical and literary figures, opened to great critical acclaim. Her later portraits of rock stars and celebrities have been hailed for their expert use of color and design, and for their evocative, descriptive qualities. Recent works depict her friends and close relationships, as well as prominent figures from art and cultural circles.
Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, and at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. She currently lives and works in Long Island, NY.