Elizabeth Peyton - Exhibitions

Exhibitions

In 1987, Peyton had her inaugural solo show at Althea Viafora Gallery in New York City's SoHo. Ahead of its time, the exhibition of figurative paintings on glass was supported by art patrons Peter Jay Sharp, Ahmet Ertegun, and Dan Lufkin. At the avant-garde Viafora Gallery, Peyton's work was followed by the first exhibition of Matthew Barney and other important artists of today.

Peyton's second exhibition in New York City was held in a room of the Hotel Chelsea (mainly drawings) in 1993. People who wished to see the exhibition would just go to the reception of the hotel and ask for the room key; fewer than 50 people viewed Peyton's charcoal and ink drawings of Napoleon, Marie Antoinette and Queen Elizabeth II.

A mid-career exhibition of her work started at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City in October 2008, touring to the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Whitechapel Gallery, London; and Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht (2009-10). The first survey of Peyton's work in an American institution, the exhibition included her latest portraits, which revealed a greater emphasis on the psychology of the subject (such as Matthew Barney or John Giorno). The day following Barack Obama's election to the U.S. presidency, a new painting (oil on linen), created in August 2008, was added to the exhibition, representing Michelle Obama and her daughter at the 2008 Democratic National Convention (see image on the Artinfo site as published on 11/5/08). The painting was commissioned by W magazine. Laura Hoptman, the curator of the New Museum show, decided that the portrait would only be put on view if Barack Obama won the 2008 election, as the New Museum is a non-partisan institution.

Other solo exhibitions include the Royal Academy in London; the Salzburger Kunstverein; the Deichtorhallen in Hamburg; the Irish Museum of Modern Art (2009); and “Ghost: Elizabeth Peyton,” a retrospective of the artist’s prints, presented concurrently at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum and the Opelvillen in Rüsselsheim, Germany (2011). The second in a series of four Ring-inspired shows planned for Gallery Met in 2011, her show "Wagner" included works inspired by the composer’s Ring cycle.

Peyton has also been included in numerous group exhibitions around the world including Campo at the 1995 Venice Biennale, Greater New York at MoMA PS1 in 2000, and the 2004 Whitney Biennial.