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Overview
Erin Cone's portraits are commanding, enigmatic mirrors of the human condition. A fusion of traditional portraiture and magical realism, Cone's paintings evoke the perspective and emotional complexity of the sitter's interior world. Detached, yet imbued with raw emotion, Cone places her subject in abstract settings devoid of reference to the material world. Cone's bold, minimal compositions encapsulate potent moments and solidify them in an infinite manner.
Exceptional and compelling, Cone has developed a powerfully idiosyncratic visual language containing strong directional lighting and reductive planes of subdued color. The artist states “I explore the shifting interpretations possible when narrative is omitted and only emotion and ambiguity remain.” Erin Cone's highly stylized portraits contain a modular perfection, revealing a synthesis of figural minimalism infused with essential truth. In the artist's own words, “I want to show all of the emotion of the moment, but none of the context. I seek to capture subtle, ambiguous feeling which each person can approach in his or her own way.”
Born in Lubbock, Texas in 1976, Cone received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas in 1998. Since her first show in 2001, Cone has had twenty-two solo shows and participated in more than a dozen group shows across the U.S. and in Europe, consistently enjoying critical and commercial success for her unconventional approach to figurative realism. She has twice been recognized in the national art press as a top emerging artist, has been interviewed on PBS, and has been featured in numerous art magazines — appearing on the cover of American Art Collector Magazine and Southwest Art Magazine, among others. Cone's work is in hundreds of private, public and corporate collections throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. She lives with her husband and daughter in Santa Fe, New Mexico. -
Works
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Sojourn
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Boundary
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Nascent
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Await
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Shift
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Linear 1
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Linear 2, 2024
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Equivalence
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Parity
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Confluence 2
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Confluence 1
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Coincide
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Remainder
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Reconcile
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Ratio
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Impact 2
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Impact 1
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Inference
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Quotient
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Context
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Congruent
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Adjunct
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Proximate
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Stasis
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Untold
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Unsaid
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Linger
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Abide
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Diffuse
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Glow
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Impel
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Recollect
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Unfolding
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Unspoken
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Align
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Intentional
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Idyll
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Resolve
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Margin
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Limit
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Interval
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Quietude
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Feint
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Falter
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Effortless
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Self-Contained
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Liminal 1
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Liminal 2
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Counterpoise
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Threshold
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Between
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Convergent 2
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Unmoved 1
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Rose
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Cloud
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Oblique
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Eventide
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Perennial
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Moment
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Umbra
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Soleil
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Pulse
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Ebb
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Alluvion 1
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Alluvion 2
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Entwine
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Lotus
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Spring
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Autumn
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Inclination 1
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Boundless
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Black and White 1
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Radiance
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Acceptance
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Resonance
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Perspective
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Reset
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Unasked
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Pulse
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Flutter
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Pace 2
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Link
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Forget
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Fate 2
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Reframe
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Embrace
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Immersed
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Suffuse I
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Spill I
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Impulse
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Entice
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Consolation 2
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Continuance
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Resolute
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Persist
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Atone
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Couplet 7
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Couplet 5
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Convergent 1
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Presence
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Observance
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Unfold
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Stand
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Ceasura
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Contained
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Intersect
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Imminent
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Integral
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Video
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Biography
"I emphasize visual impact over narrative context, focusing on the subtle orchestration of my subject within a framework of design. I create a deliberate push-and-pull between near-photorealistic detail and my own vocabulary of visual glitches that challenge that very realism. This duality is central to my work and allows the figures I paint to remain wholly representational while functioning abstractly — evoking emotion without defining it." — Erin Cone
Born in Lubbock, Texas in 1976, Cone received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas in 1998. Since her first show in 2001, Cone has had twenty-two solo shows and participated in more than a dozen group shows across the U.S. and in Europe, consistently enjoying critical and commercial success for her unconventional approach to figurative realism. She has twice been recognized in the national art press as a top emerging artist, has been interviewed on PBS, and has been featured in numerous art magazines — appearing on the cover of American Art Collector Magazine and Southwest Art Magazine, among others. Cone's work is in hundreds of private, public and corporate collections throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. She lives with her husband and daughter in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Selected Museum + Public Collections:
New Mexico Museum of Art, New Mexico
Seven Bridges Foundation, Connecticut
Four Seasons Hotels & Resort, Washington, D.C.
The Howard Tullman Collection, Illinois
Standard Chartered Bank, London
Editorial - Q + A with Erin Cone
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Exhibitions
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Santa Fe | Erin Cone
18 Oct - 9 Nov 2024(SANTA FE, NM) — Nüart Gallery is pleased to present “Renascent,” a solo exhibition of new work by Erin Cone, running from October 18th through November 9th, 2024, with an...Read more -
Grand Opening | Nüart Gallery | Santa Monica | "In Principio"
2 - 30 Mar 2024Nüart Gallery proudly announces its inaugural exhibition at their newest outpost located at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica with a group show of select paintings. The exhibition will run from...Read more -
R-E-D | 2024
A Group Exhibition 9 - 25 Feb 2024Nüart Gallery is thrilled to announce "R-E-D," our annual Valentine's Day exhibition featuring a curated collection of work celebrating the color red and its proximity to love and passion. .Read more
In art, music, and literature, love has always been one of the major engines of human creativity. In celebration of love, romance, and the mysterious longings of the heart, "R-E-D" features a diverse collection of artworks filled with romance for our annual Valentine's Day exhibition. Each work offers a distinct perspective on the color red and its unmistakable relationship with human desire and life itself. -
Winter Selections | 2024
A Group Exhibition 12 - 28 Jan 2024Nüart Gallery is pleased to present Winter Selections, our annual exhibition featuring a curation of our artists whose abstract and figurative work celebrate a constrained winter palette. The exhibition will open on January 12th and through January 28th, 2024.Read more -
Erin Cone
Correlation 22 Sep - 8 Oct 2023In "Correlation," Erin Cone presents a thought-provoking journey into her world of abstract realism. Her mastery of directional lighting and minimalist palettes conjures stark figures that radiate both emotional depth and enigmatic tranquility. Delving into the interplay between her subjects and their surroundings, Cone sparks a dialogue between human form and artistic interpretation. Marked by subtle, ambiguous emotions, this work invites viewers to explore their own subjective experiences. Her canvases capture the essence of a singular moment, invoking emotional response as much as intellectual curiosity.Read more -
R-E-D
A Group Exhibition 10 - 19 Feb 2023Nüart Gallery is excited to announce the opening of ' R-E-D,' a Valentine's Day exhibition featuring a curated collection of paintings that celebrate the color red and its connection to...Read more -
Erin Cone + Joseph Ostraff
Liminal 20 May - 5 Jun 2022Nüart Gallery is presents Liminal, featuringnew works by Erin Cone & Joseph Ostraff. Known for her meticulously-composed realism, Erin Cone distills the emotion of traditional figurative painting into abstracted compositions,...Read more -
Red Show
The Color of Love 11 - 25 Feb 2022A selection of works by our artists, reflecting their interpretations of one of the most celebrated human emotions – love. We invite you to join us in celebrating one of the most powerful colors of the spectrum.Read more -
Winter Selections
A Group Exhibition 24 Jan - 6 Feb 2022Nüart Gallery is pleased to present Winter Selections, an exhibition featuring a curation of our artists whose abstract and figurative work celebrate a constrained winter palette. The minimalist environment of...Read more -
Nüart 20th Anniversary Show
24 Dec 2021 - 9 Jan 2022Nüart Gallery 20th Anniversary Show (SANTA FE, NM) Nüart Gallery is pleased to celebrate its 20th year of offering fine art with a special group exhibition of 36 established and...Read more -
Erin Cone + Anne Kaferle
Between the Physical + the Conceptual 30 Jul - 15 Aug 2021Nüart Gallery presents, “Between the Physical + the Conceptual" a group exhibition of new works by Anne Kaferle and Erin Cone. The exhibition will run from July 30th through August 15th 2021, with an opening reception on Friday, July 30th from 5-7 pm.Read more -
Winter Inspirations
A Group Exhibition 29 Jan - 7 Feb 2021Nüart Gallery presents Winter Inspirations, a group exhibition of paintings by Nüart Gallery artists. The exhibition will run January 29th through February 7th, 2020. We're celebrating the season of the...Read more -
Erin Cone
Time + Tide 28 Aug - 13 Sep 2020'I'm interested in the intersection of nature and the human experience: the fundamental processes of growth and change, death and rebirth, ebb and flow, expansion and contraction - beyond our...Read more -
Figurations Group Exhibition 2019
Michael Bergt, Erin Cone, Matthias Brandes & John Tarahteeff 9 - 25 Aug 2019Join Nüart Gallery for an exhibition of work by four painters, each with a contemporary take on the ancient practice of figurative representation. Working in oil, acrylic, egg tempera, and...Read more -
Erin Cone
Boundless 12 - 28 Oct 2018The Exhibition, Boundless, consists of a new collection of large-format acrylic paintings in which Erin Cone continues her exploration of the boundaries of realism in figurative painting.Read more -
Erin Cone
Erin Cone - stages of believing 20 Oct - 5 Nov 2017opening reception on Friday, October 12 th from 5:00 - 7:00 pm Erin Cone is known for her visually impactful work that unites figuration with subtle minimalism and abstraction. Orchestrating...Read more -
Erin Cone
wish fulfillment 12 - 28 Aug 2016Erin Cone’s much sought-after paintings represent the ambiguity between unconscious desires and emotional longing through a fusing of figuration, minimalism and hard-edged abstraction. In this solo exhibition, Erin Cone initially...Read more -
Erin Cone
ineffable 9 - 25 Oct 2015opening reception > friday | october 9th | 5 - 7 pm artist will be presentRead more -
Erin Cone
modiste 10 - 26 Oct 2014In this exhibition, Cone takes inspiration from the modiste, the dressmaker in French. Cone is intrigued by the way the abstract shape of a particular dress can reinvent the personality...Read more -
Erin Cone
desiderata 4 - 20 Oct 2013Cone’s new exhibition, 'Desiderata,' deals with what is yearned for, unrequited and unfulfilled. Her paintings evoke the fleeting moments of longing whose origin and outcome are equally unknown. Distilling human...Read more
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