Elise Ansel
Elise Ansel (b. 1961, New York City) translates Old Master paintings into a contemporary pictorial language. She mines art historical imagery for color and narrative structure. Her paintings use the Old Masters as points of departure. They move into abstraction by transforming the representational content, which is obfuscated if not entirely eclipsed, by her focus on color, gesture and the materiality of paint. She interrupts linear, rational readings so that the real subject becomes the substance and surface of oil paint, the range of its applications, and the ways in which it can be used to celebrate life.
Her work deconstructs pictorial language and authorial agency in order to excavate and liberate meanings buried beneath the surface of the works from which her paintings spring. Old Master paintings were, for the most part, created by men for men. Abstraction allows her to interrupt this one sided narrative and transform it into a sensually capacious non-narrative form of visual communication that embraces multiple points of view.
-
Medium study I for Uffizi Judith, 2020oil on canvas76cm x 61cm (30" x 24")
-
Medium study II for Uffizi Judith, 2020oil on canvas76cm x 63.5cm (30" x 25")
-
Medium study III for Uffizi Judith, 2020oil on canvas76cm x 63.5cm (30" x 25”)
-
Radiant IIoil on canvas122cm x 91cm (48" x 36")
-
Woman with a Balance IVoil on canvas152cm x 137cm (60" x 54")
-
Judith IIoil on canvas76cm x 61cm (30" x 24")
-
Asymmetry Abstractoil on canvas102cm x 152cm (40" x 60")
-
Lumenoil on canvas76cm x 61cm (30" x 24")
-
Lute Playeroil on canvas76cm x 68.5cm (30" x 27")
-
RR Flower Detail IIIoil on canvas122cm x 152cm (48" x 60")
-
Generosityoil on canvas152cm x 122cm (60" x 48")
-
Abraham and Angelsoil on canvas152cm x 122cm (60" x 48")
-
Dioscuri Consensualoil on canvas152cm x 152cm (60" x 60")
-
Europa (Consensual)oil on canvas134cm x 152cm (52.8" x 59.8")
-
Europa Consensual (Boucher) IIoil on canvas132cm x 152cm (52" x 60")
-
Libicaoil on canvas152cm x 122cm (60" x 48")
-
Medium study for Kingsoil on canvas91cm x 91cm (36" x 36")
-
Medium Study for Night Watchoil on canvas61cm x 76cm (24" x 30")
-
Medium Study for Yesoil on canvas51cm x 76cm (20" x 30")
-
Medium Study I for Night Watchoil on canvas61cm x 76cm (24" x 30")
-
Small study for Yesoil on canvas30cm x 45cm (11.8" x 17.7")
-
Bacchus and Ariadne IIoil on canvas147cm x 152cm (58" x 60")
-
Bacchus and Ariadne IVoil on linen147cm x 152cm (58" x 60")
-
Small study II for Bacchus and Ariadneoil on linen30.5cm x 30.5cm (12" x 12")
-
Small study V for Bacchus and Ariadneoil on linen32cm x 35.5cm (12.5" x 14")
-
Naxos (Monochrome)oil on linen137cm x 152cm (54" x 60")
-
Reflections on the Boulevardoil on linen51cm x 76cm (20" x 30")
-
Terminaloil on linen58.5cm x 76cm (23" x 30")
-
Veniceoil on linen51cm x 76cm (20" x 30")
-
Watery Reflectionsoil on linen51cm x 76cm (20" x 30")
-
Light in Augustoil on linen152cm x 122cm (60" x 48")
-
Medium Study II for Light in Augustoil on linen63.5cm x 76cm (25" x 30")
-
Small study I for Light in Augustoil on linen38cm x 30.5cm (15" x 12")
-
Medium Study I for Venus and Adonisoil on canvas63.5cm x 76cm (25" x 30")
-
Small study III for Venus and Adonisoil on linen32cm x 35.5cm (12.5" x 14")
-
Andrians Ioil on canvas25.5cm x 30.5cm (10" x 12")
-
JudasOil on canvas58.5cm x 76cm (23" x 30")
-
Kings IIOil on canvas102cm x 102cm (40" x 40")
-
Kings IIIOil on canvas102cm x 102cm (40" x 40")
-
Medium study I for Damascusoil on linen76cm x 61cm (30" x 24")
-
Premonition IOil on linen76cm x 102cm (30" x 40")
-
Revelations Xoil on canvas30.5cm x 23cm (12" x 9")
Education
1993 | MFA Visual Art Southern Methodist University |
1984 | BA Comparative Literature Brown University |
Solo Exhibitions
2020 | David Klein Gallery, "Palimpsest", Detroit, USA | |
2019 | Cadogan Contemporary, “yes I said Yes”, London | |
2018 | Danese/Corey, “Time Present”, New York | |
2017 | Cadogan Contemporary, “Amber and Ebony”, London | |
Danese Corey, “Dialogue”, New York | ||
2016 | Bowdoin College Museum of Art, “Distant Mirrors” Brunswick, ME | |
Cadogan Contemporary, “Fusion of Horizons”, London | ||
2015 | Ellsworth Gallery, “Far Reaches,” Santa Fe, New Mexico | |
Phoenix Gallery, “Palimpsest”, New York | ||
2013 | Ellsworth Gallery, “The Invisible Thread”, Santa Fe, NM | |
Phoenix Gallery, New York, New York | ||
Cadogan Contemporary, “Drawn From History”, London | ||
2012 | Phoenix Gallery, New York, New York | |
2011 | Lenore Gray Gallery, Providence, Rhode Island | |
2010 | List Art Center, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island | |
2001 | UMF Gallery, Farmington, Maine | |
2000 | Ruschman Gallery, Indianapolis, IN | |
1999 | The Art Gallery, Hopkinsville, Kentucky | |
The Michael Dunn Memorial Gallery, Cornwell-Reed Fine, Art Center, Oakland City University, Oakland City, Indiana | ||
Krannert Gallery of Art, University of Evansville, Evansville, Indiana | ||
1997 | Fine and Hatfield Gallery, Evansville, Indiana | |
1996 | The Riits Gallery, Savannah, Georgia | |
Hanes Art Center Glass Gallery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina | ||
Undermain Theater, in conjunction with Kitchen Dog Theater’s performance of Samuel Beckett’s Footfalls, Play, and Krapp’s Last Tape, Dallas, Texas | ||
Undermain Theater, in conjunction with Kitchen Dog Theater’s performance of Henrik Ibsen’s Creditors, Dallas, Texas | ||
1989 | Dance Space, Inc., New York, New York | |
1987 | Dance Space, Inc., New York, New York | |
List Art Center, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
|
Selected Group Exhibitions
2019 | Summer Exhibition 2019, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK | |
rePRESENTed PAST, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York, NY | ||
Art on Paper with Danese/Corey, New York, NY | ||
2018 | Ellsworth Gallery, “In the Ruins of the Anthropocene,” Santa Fe, New Mexico | |
David Winton Bell Gallery at Brown University, “Pushing Painting: Elise Ansel, Nicole Duennebier, Duane Slick,” Providence, Rhode Island | ||
Danese/Corey, “‘scape,” New York, New York | ||
2017 | Portland Museum of Art, Biennial 2018, Portland, Maine | |
Museum of Contemporary Art Kraków, MOCAK, “Art in Art,” Kraków, Poland | ||
Danese/Corey, “Referenced,” New York, New York | ||
London Art Fair with Cynthia Corbett Gallery, London, UK | ||
2016 | LA Art Show with Ellsworth Gallery, Los Angeles, California | |
Danese/Corey, “Drawing Conclusions,” New York, New York | ||
Ellsworth Gallery, “Artists’ Choice,” Santa Fe, New Mexico | ||
Art New York with Cynthia Corbett Gallery, New York, New York | ||
AAF London with Cynthia Corbett Gallery, London, UK | ||
2015 | Phoenix Gallery, “3 Artists,” New York, New York | |
London Art Fair, with the Cynthia Corbett Gallery, London, UK | ||
Art Miami, “Art Miami with the Cyntha Corbett Gallery,” Miami, FloridaSite/109, “Young Masters/ Focus on New Work,” New York, New York | ||
Ellsworth Gallery, “Far Reaches,” Santa Fe, New Mexico | ||
Sphinx Fine Art, “Young Masters/ Dialogues,” London, UK | ||
Royal Academy of Arts, “Summer Exhibition 2015,” London, UK | ||
2014 | Conigsby Gallery, “Cynthia Corbett Gallery Summer Exhibition 2015, Focus on Painting,” London | |
Cadogan Contemporary, “New Year,” London, UK | ||
Ellsworth Gallery, “On the Brink,” Santa Fe, New Mexico | ||
Young Masters, Sphinx Fine Art, London, UK | ||
Young Masters 2014, Lloyds Club, London, UK | ||
Cadogan Contemporary, “Spring 2014,” London, UK | ||
Ellsworth Gallery, “ONE,” Santa Fe, New Mexico | ||
Phoenix Gallery, “syn.the.sis,” New York, New York | ||
Parrish Art Museum, “Artists Choose Artists”, Water Mill, NM | ||
2013 | Sphinx Fine Art, “Young Masters at Sphinx Fine Art 2013”, London, UK | |
Cadogan Contemporary, “Summer Exhibition 2013”, London, UK | ||
Springs Fireplace Project, “Summer Exhibition”, East Hampton, NY | ||
Cynthia Corbett Gallery, “Spring Exhibition Showcase Alongside a Selection of Young Masters”, London, UK | ||
Affordable Art Fair, “Excerpt of Young Masters Art Prize”, Hampstead, London, UK | ||
Gallery 27, “Young Masters: The Figure in Art”, Mayfair, London, UK | ||
Henley Festival, “Young Masters: The Figure in Art”, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, UK | ||
2012 | Phoenix Gallery, “Gallery Artists”, New York, New York | |
Cadogan Contemporary, “Summer Exhibition 2012”, London, UK | ||
Cadogan Contemporary, “Works on paper”, London, UK | ||
Cadogan Contemporary, “30th Anniversary Exhibition”, London, UK | ||
2011 | Phoenix Gallery, “Gallery Artists”, New York, New York | |
POP Gallery, Portland, Maine | ||
Cadogan Contemporary, London, England | ||
Thomas Moser Gallery, Freeport, Maine | ||
Bell Gallery, Faculty Triennial, List Art Center, Brown University, Prov., RI | ||
2010 | Phoenix Gallery, New York, NY | |
Juror: Robert Storr Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY | ||
Springs Fireplace Project, East Hampton, NY | ||
2009 | Clic Gallery, East Hampton, NY | |
Springs Fireplace Project, East Hampton, NY | ||
2008 | Springs Fireplace Project, East Hampton, NY | |
2007 | Alpers Fine Art, Andover, MA | |
Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY | ||
2006 | Maine Center for Contemporary Art, Rockport, ME | |
2005 | Ruschman Gallery, Indianapolis, IN | |
2004 | Alpers Fine Art, Andover, MA | |
Lenore Gray Gallery, Providence, Rhode Island | ||
Greenhut Galleries, Portland, Maine | ||
Ruschman Gallery, “Works on Paper”, Indianapolis, Indiana | ||
2003 | Nohra Haime Gallery, New York, NY | |
Ruschman Gallery, “Recent Work”, Indianapolis, Indiana | ||
2002 | Ruschman Gallery, “ Gallery Artists”, Indianapolis, Indiana | |
2001 | Boston Center for Contemporary Art, “The Drawing Show”, Boston, Massachusetts | |
Juror: Bill Arning, Curator, List Visual Arts Center, M.I.T. | ||
Ruschman Gallery, “ Gallery Artists”, Indianapolis, Indiana | ||
ICON Contemporary Art , Brunswick, Maine | ||
Elaine Benson Gallery, “Re-Emerging”, Bridge Hampton, New York | ||
Ruschman Gallery, “New Work by Gallery Artists”, Indianapolis, Indiana | ||
2000 | Maine Coast Artists, “Biennial Juried Exhibition 2000”, Rockport, Maine | |
Jurors: Mark Bessire, Linda Earle, Katy Kline | ||
1999 | Ruschman Gallery, “Gallery Artists”, Indianapolis, Indiana | |
1998 | Evansville Museum of Arts and Sciences, 49th Mid-States Art | |
Exhibition, Evansville, Indiana | ||
Juror: James D. Burke, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the St. Louis ArtMuseum | ||
Ruschman Gallery, “New Work by Gallery Artists, Indianapolis, Indiana | ||
Evansville Museum of Arts and Sciences, “Eastside/ Westside”, Evansville, Indiana | ||
1997 | Ruschman Gallery, New Gallery Artists, Indianapolis, IN | |
Owens-Thomas Regional Arts Gallery, Southern Exposure, Savannah, Georgia | ||
Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana Gallery, Annual Juried Exhibition, Evansville, Indiana | ||
Brenau Visual Arts Gallery, National Invitational Art Exhibition, Brenau University, Gainesville, Georgia | ||
Krannert Gallery of Art, “Faculty Exhibition”, University of Evansville, Evansville, Indiana | ||
West Bank Gallery, 18th Annual Juried Fine Arts Competition, Savannah, GA | ||
Juror: Lisa Phillips, Curator of the 1997 Whitney Biennial | ||
Pinnacle Art Gallery, “The Low Country and Beyond”, Savannah, Georgia | ||
1996 | York Street Open Studios, Savannah, Georgia | |
Exhibit A Gallery, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Georgia | ||
Bergen Gallery, “Faculty Exhibition”, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Georgia | ||
1995 | Haystack Mountain School, “Summer Exhibition”, Deer Isle, Maine | |
Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, NC | ||
Fine Arts Center Gallery, Ravenscroft School, Raleigh, NC | ||
1993 | Ashwaag Hall, East Hampton, New York |
Collections
Cristina and Joe Craft, Chair, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
Arielle Saiber, Portland, Maine
Eli Lilly Foundation, Indianapolis, Indiana
Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
Lene Lauridsen and Mogens Fisher, Copenhagen, Denmark
Evansville Museum of Arts and Sciences, Evansville, Indiana
Spring Island Trust, Spring Island, South Carolina
Ice, Miller, Denadio, and Ryan, Indianapolis, IN
Wilfrid Zogbaum, New York, New York
Bibliography
Alfred Mac Adam, The Brooklyn Rail, January 2019
Stacey Kors, ZEST, Winter 2019
Niall MacMonagle, The Independent, December 2018
Cate McQuaid, Boston Globe, June 2018
Alfred Mac Adam, ARTnews, March 2017
David Dorsey, The Dorsey Post, February 2017
Patrica Ramos, METAL, November 2016
Carl Little, Hyperallergic, April 2016
Kat Herriman, Cultured Magazine, Feb/March 2016
John O’Hern, Amercian Art Collector, April 2016
Daniel Kany, Portland Press Herald, Feb 2016
Jacob Fall and Virginia Rose, The Chart, March 2016
Christina Arza, Steadfast Arte, December 2015
Gabrielle Selz, Hamptons Art Hub, December 2013
Michael Abatemarco, Santa Fe New Mexican, Pasatiempo, August 2013
Deborah Weisgall, maine., January/February 2011
Bill Van Siclen, Providence Journal, January 2011
-
ELISE ANSEL | ART & OBJECT | FEATURE
Paul Laster, Art & Object , June 30, 2020 -
ELISE ANSEL | LUX MAGAZINE
LUX Magazine , October 10, 2019 -
ELISE ANSEL | ARTFIX DAILY
ArtFix Daily , October 9, 2019 -
ELISE ANSEL | HARPER'S BAZAAR
Frances Hedges , Harper's Bazaar, October 4, 2019 -
ELISE ANSEL | THE WEEK
The Week, October 2, 2019 -
ELISE ANSEL | TREBUCHET MAGAZINE
Naila Scargill, Trebuchet Magazine, September 20, 2019 -
ELISE ANSEL | BROOKLYN RAIL
Alfred Mac Adams, Brooklyn Rail, December 20, 2018 -
ELISE ANSEL | HYPERALLERGIC
Carl Little, Hyperallergic, April 9, 2016 -
ELISE ANSEL | CANVAS SAATCHI ART
Canvas a blog by Saatchi Art, December 8, 2014