Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects presents In Her Studio, a collection of portraits by painter Susanna Coffey. These recent paintings depict artists at work in their studios. Coffey states, “The paintings are visits into the worlds creative artists inhabit. A way to be with these accomplished artists, to sit in a corner and work along side them.” Subjects include Joan Goldin, Heidi Howard, Jessica Hargreave, Marthe Keller, Joan Waltemath, Daphne Arthur, Jane Coffey, Esteban Cabeza de Baca, Laura Mosquera, Aliza Nisenbaum, and Kyle Staver, in addition to several self-portraits.

In the exhibition, there are two distinct bodies of work: portraits of artists working in their studios, and self-portraits of Coffey working at night in her own studio. When first viewing these portraits, the figures are not immediately apparent. The paintings blur the boundaries between the artist, her space, and her work. Canvases, paints, and brushes are as much the subject as the artist portrayed. In Coffey’s studio self-portraits, images from art history are projected in her studio, enveloping the artist as she portrays herself in the act of painting. Coffey states, “There are certain artists whose works live within me, inspire my efforts. I could not make my own paintings without theirs to sustain and inform me. El Greco, Bob Thompson, Tintoretto, they are always alongside me as I work. While I have often copied their paintings, in this show I just wanted, literally, to be covered by them.”

Susanna Coffey studied at Yale University and is a Visiting Professor at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. She is known for her self-portraits, and also works across the genres of still-life and landscape. She has been the subject of three other solo exhibitions at SHFAP, in 2012, 2014 and 2018. Recent solo shows include A Night Painting Project at Anchorage Art Museum in Alaska, Night Painting at the Alpha Gallery in Boston, and Night Light at MAB Projects in Milton, PA. Her work is included in the collections of The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Yale University Art Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Indianapolis Museum of Art, The Akron Museum of Art, The Weatherspoon Art Museum, The Honolulu Academy of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Seville, Spain, The Minneapolis Museum of Art, and many others.

In April of 2019, MAB books published Susanna Coffey: Night Paintings. The book includes poems by Carol Becker, Brice Brown, Jane Coffey, Jane Kenyon, and Mark Strand. The exhibition is accompanied by a book signing event with Susanna Coffey and Brice Brown, artist and publisher of MAB books, on November 23rd at 4pm. SHFAP will also host a discussion with the artist December 14th at 4pm.

Please call 917-861-7312 or contact Lauren Fowler at lauren@shfap.com for more information or images. View available works on instagram @shfapselections.