Nicole Eisenman

Nicole Eisenman, born in 1965 in Verdun, France, and raised in Scarsdale, New York, is an artist who creates works driven by emotion and embodied experience. Her diverse practice encompasses prints, paintings, drawings, and multimedia pieces, all of which explore the complexities of the human condition. As she expresses, “I reflect a certain desire; I want my work to be authentic… Work is nothing if it’s not based on feeling.”

Eisenman populates her creations with exaggerated figures and vibrant colors, infusing her work with pathos and dark humor. Her expressive portraits often depict herself, her friends, or fictional characters reflective of contemporary culture. These figures appear isolated and contemplative, emblematic of our modern experience.

Drawing inspiration from Social Realism, Eisenman’s work resists passive engagement with art history. As critic Massimiliano Gioni remarks, she “resurrects and conceals it in our present.” Her art delves into how we confront sadness amidst a culture that inundates us with the facade of happiness. Melancholic and gruff characters populate her urban scenes, merging contemporary disillusionment with stylistic echoes of the past, including Impressionism and German Expressionism, both of which explore human interaction and isolation.

Eisenman’s compositions are influenced by a variety of sources—from television and comics to pornography—merged with a sharp, playful humor that challenges social and cultural norms. The work Beasley Street (2007) exemplifies her approach, emphasizing the gestures and poses of its characters that encapsulate the artist's own experiences, history, and emotional depth.

Eisenman has exhibited prominently, participating in the Whitney Biennial in both 1995 and 2012. Her artistic journey began at the Rhode Island School of Design, and she continues to impact the contemporary art scene with her compelling and resonant works.