About Lisa Yuskavage

Lisa Yuskavage (b. 1962) is a leading contemporary American painter whose psychologically charged and often provocative artworks have made her one of the most influential figures in figurative art today. Known for her luminous color palettes and cinematic atmospheres, Yuskavage combines the technical mastery of Old Master traditions with a distinctly modern sensibility. Her paintings, at once sensual and unsettling, feature hyper-stylized female figures that confront conventional notions of beauty, sexuality, and vulnerability.

Her artwork occupies a space between the grotesque and the sublime, drawing viewers into dreamlike narratives that challenge perceptions of femininity, desire, and self-representation. The painter’s ability to merge classical techniques with bold, surreal imagery has earned her recognition as a trailblazer in contemporary painting.

In addition to her celebrated large-scale canvases, Lisa Yuskavage has also produced fine art prints and limited editions that extend her exploration of desire and empowerment into accessible formats for collectors. These prints capture the raw emotional intensity and luminous color that define her paintings, reinforcing her place in the contemporary art market.

By pushing boundaries between eroticism, psychology, and painterly tradition, Yuskavage has established herself as a pivotal voice in 21st-century art. Her artworks continue to spark dialogue, fascination, and debate, ensuring her enduring impact on the history of figurative painting.

Auction record: US$1.4m, Christie’s, 2022

Notable exhibitions

Lisa Yuskavage gained significant institutional recognition with her inclusion in the 2000 Whitney Biennial and a major solo exhibition that same year at the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania.

Early international solo shows followed at the Centre d’Art Contemporain in Geneva (2001) and Museo Tamayo in Mexico City (2006), expanding her presence beyond the U.S. Her critically acclaimed mid-career survey The Brood (2015–16), organized by the Rose Art Museum, traveled to the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, and was followed by further solo presentations at the Aspen Art Museum (2020) and others.

In 2025, Lisa Yuskavage: Drawings at The Morgan Library & Museum in New York marks the first comprehensive museum exhibition dedicated to her works on paper, reaffirming her place as a vital voice in contemporary figurative painting.