Nicole Eisenman (American/French, b.1965) is an artist from Verdun, France, who is best known for her installations and paintings. Though she grew up in France, Eisenman moved to the United States to attend college. After receiving The European Honors Program: Rhode Island School of Design Year in Rome Award, she attended the Rhode Island School of Design, and graduated in 1987 with an MFA.
Eisenman’s first exhibition was in 1990 at the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art in Staten Island, NY. The group exhibition at the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art,
Figuring Eros, featured several female artists. It wasn’t until two years later that she had her first solo showing, which took place at the
Shoshana Wayne Gallery in Santa Monica, CA. The gallery showed her work multiple times over the years, and she also had solo shows at the Noga Gallery in Tel Aviv, Israel; the
Galerie Barbara Weiss in Berlin, Germany; the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York, NY; and the Entwistle Gallery in London, England.
Though she is best known for her installations, Eisenman works in other media, including paintings, drawings, and sketches. Many of her pieces are inspired by her experiences as a child or young woman, and often incorporate pop cultural references. As a lesbian artist, Eisenman often creates pieces that focus on strong, independent women. Her piece
Logger House shows a group of women in men’s clothing, working together to take down a man. Her humorous pieces led to several publications asking her for stories and interviews, including
Flash Art and
The New York Times.
Eisenman currently lives and works in New York, and is represented by the Leo Koenig Gallery.