From Christie’s: “Born in Connecticut in 1965, Elizabeth Peyton graduated from New York’s School of Visual Arts in 1987. She has since become recognised as a master of portraiture, with a signature style characterised by intimacy and innocence.

Peyton is perhaps best known for her small-scale oil and watercolour likenesses of friends—often other artists—or superstar actors and musicians: famous subjects have included Queen Elizabeth II, Keith Richards, David Hockney, Kurt Cobain and Andy Warhol.

Often working from press photographs or other mass-media sources, which can give her subjects a slightly idealised quality, the artist’s use of pre-existing images reflects her desire to explore celebrity, and the power of representation itself. It is, however, Peyton’s willingness to stick to a more traditional artistic practice, and her exceptional craftsmanship, that sets her apart…” (For the full story and more images, click here)

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