Lisa Yuskavage

Lisa Yuskavage (b. 1962) is known for her distinctive and provocative paintings of doll-like women in colour-saturated backgrounds. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Yuskavage studied at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University and later earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Art in 1986.

Yuskavage’s work references formal impulses including the Baroque, Mannerism and Colour Field painting, while her subject matter boldly ventures into the taboo, exploring issues of desire, lust and sexuality. Her paintings challenge conventional notions of beauty and femininity, embracing a more transgressive and contemporary edge. Yuskavage’s painting technique follows a slow process, in which she builds up the canvas surface with the utmost care and deliberation. She handles paint with extreme sophistication, a technique that she shares with her contemporary John Currin.

Painter Lisa Yuskavage’s exploration of the human form has garnered both critical acclaim. In 2007 Christie’s sold her painting of Night (1999–2000) for US$1,384,000, a world auction record for the artist. Her works are exhibited widely in museums across the world, including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.