Lisa Yuskavage
Blue-chipEgon research · Artist market profile
The market, in context.
Explore Lisa Yuskavage’s auction history alongside the exhibitions, collections and gallery relationships behind the market.
Institutional research
Collections & exhibitions
Read holdings, exhibition history and their qualifications in context.
Read the institutional research →
Egon investment scores
Market position
Research updated
Auction record context
Auction record remains $1,384,000 (Night, 2007, Christie's New York) — the work that established her as a million-dollar artist; not surpassed as of mid-2026.
Auction highlights
Scroll horizontally if needed →
| Work | Result | Venue and date |
|---|---|---|
| Photoshoot (2020) | $832,000 USD (sold above high estimate) | May 15, 2026 |
| Ludlow Street | $768,000 USD (sold below low estimate) | May 15, 2026 |
| Ethnic Nude | Not supplied | March 7, 2026 |
5 further auction entries on record for Lisa Yuskavage — inside Egon.
Pricing
TEMPORAL CONTEXT — Historical peak: $1.384M (2007). 2010s–early 2020s: major canvases generally $200K–$800K. CURRENT (2025–2026): large/significant oil canvases making $600K–$832K at auction (e.g., Photoshoot $832K, Ludlow Street $768K, both May 2026); important watercolors/works on paper $145K+ (Warm Bouquet $145,161, Aug 2025); small oils and prints/multiples span a wide range down to four figures. Primary market gallery-controlled — Contact David Zwirner for current pricing.
Liquidity
- Buy in rate
- Not extensively documented but prices suggest healthy sell-through
Market depth
Deep and established secondary market. LotSearch records 194 total lots (141 with realized prices); Christie's is the single largest venue with 59 lots. MutualArt/Artnet track ~288–322 works. Active across Sotheby's, Christie's, Phillips.
Sell through
Strong recent sell-through — both major May 2026 Sotheby's canvases sold; watercolors exceeding estimates. Egon partial DB (2025+) shows ~83% sell-through on tracked lots.
- Annual volume
- Roughly 10-20 lots annually at major houses; sustained multi-decade trading history.
- Auction house distribution
- Christie's (59 lots), Sotheby's, Phillips - predominantly US market
Comparables
Positioned alongside 1990s figurative-revival peers John Currin, Elizabeth Peyton, and Cecily Brown; all command strong seven-figure-capable markets with Currin the closest price comparable.
Collector base
Known collectors
- Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman (FLAG Art Foundation)
- Melva Bucksbaum and Raymond J. Learsy (donated to Whitney)
- Emily Fisher Landau (donated to Whitney)
- Agnes Gund (donated to MoMA)
- Mary M. and Sash A. Spencer (donated to MoMA)
- Teiger Foundation/David Teiger (donated to Morgan Library)
- Nina L. Collins
- David and Monica Zwirner
- Force Villareal Collection
- Geographic concentration
- Primarily US collectors and institutions
- Institutional collectors
- Major US museums acquiring through purchase and donation
Primary market
- Gallery
- David Zwirner (since 2005)
- Pricing
- Contact gallery for current pricing - gallery-controlled primary market
- Editions
- Prints published by Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE), West Islip, NY
- Availability
- New works presented through David Zwirner exhibitions; 2015 show sold out before opening
Auction history
- Note
- This establishes Yuskavage as a million-dollar artist
- Sale
- Christie's New York
- Work
- Night
- Year
- 2007
Record
Auction record remains $1,384,000 (Night, 2007, Christie's New York) — the work that established her as a million-dollar artist; not surpassed as of mid-2026.
- Highest price
- $1,384,000 USD
Historical performance
- 2015
- New York exhibition sold out before opening; one piece reached over $1 million
- 2010s
- Multiple works selling in $200,000-$300,000 range
- 2024 trend
- Strong institutional estimates ($600K-$800K) for major canvases
- Since 2000
- Record established at $1.384M in 2007; consistent activity at major auction houses
Recent auction activity
Price ranges
- Major paintings
- $600,000-$1,384,000 USD range
- Medium paintings
- $200,000-$300,000 USD range
- Small works watercolors
- $7,000-$30,000 USD range
- Prints editions 2024 2025
- $1,500-$3,000 USD average
- Total lots tracked
- 230+ auction results (Artsy), 269 artworks (MutualArt), 194 lots (LotSearch)
Market position
Blue-chip contemporary figurative painter; work has sold for more than $1 million at auction. Demand particularly strong for large-scale paintings from significant career periods, where supply is constrained relative to demand.
Investment outlook
Positive/stable. May 2026 result of $832K above high estimate signals continued momentum; concurrent institutional validation (Morgan Library drawings show 2025-26) and new Zwirner solo (2026) reinforce demand. Gallery-controlled primary market maintains price discipline.
Institutional presence
Research updated
Exhibitions
Group exhibitions
Scroll horizontally if needed →
| Year | Venue | Significance | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Whitney Biennial | Major biennial inclusion | Not supplied |
| 2022 | Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth | Not supplied | Women Painting Women |
| 2025 | David Zwirner, New York | Not supplied | Circa 1995: New Figuration in New York |
Major solo exhibitions
Lisa Yuskavage
- Type
- Major institutional solo
- Year
- 2000
- Venue
- Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
- Type
- International solo
- Year
- 2001
- Venue
- Centre d'Art Contemporain, Geneva
- Type
- International solo
- Year
- 2006
- Venue
- Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico City
New Work (concurrent exhibitions)
- Type
- First exhibitions with David Zwirner
- Year
- 2006
- Venue
- David Zwirner and Zwirner & Wirth, New York
- Year
- 2011
- Venue
- The Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin
- Context
- Part of Dublin Contemporary 2011
View 8 more records
Lisa Yuskavage: The Brood
- Year
- 2015
- Notes
- Major 25-year retrospective, traveled to Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (2016)
- Venue
- Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
- Publication
- Comprehensive catalogue by Skira Rizzoli with texts by Christopher Bedford, Suzanne Hudson, Catherine Lord, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Katy Siegel
Lisa Yuskavage: Wilderness
- Year
- 2020
- Notes
- Co-organized with Baltimore Museum of Art; traveled to Baltimore (2021)
- Venue
- Aspen Art Museum
New Paintings
- Year
- 2021
- Venue
- David Zwirner, New York
Rendez-vous
- Year
- 2023
- Notes
- First Paris exhibition
- Venue
- David Zwirner, Paris
- Year
- 2025
- Notes
- First LA exhibition in 30 years
- Venue
- David Zwirner, Los Angeles
Lisa Yuskavage: Drawings
- Year
- 2025-2026
- Dates
- June 27, 2025 - January 4, 2026
- Notes
- First comprehensive museum exhibition of drawings; curated by Claire Gilman
- Venue
- Morgan Library & Museum, New York
- Significance
- Major institutional validation - Morgan rarely exhibits living artists
Lisa Yuskavage: Drawings
- Year
- 2025-2026
- Dates
- June 27, 2025 – January 4, 2026
- Venue
- The Morgan Library & Museum, New York
- Curator
- Claire Gilman
Significance
First career-spanning / first comprehensive museum exhibition dedicated to her drawings (early 1990s to present, sketches and finished studies). Major institutional validation — the Morgan rarely dedicates shows to living artists.
Lisa Yuskavage (new and recent paintings and works on paper)
- Year
- 2026
- Dates
- May 14 – June 26, 2026
- Venue
- David Zwirner, New York (533 West 19th Street)
- Significance
- Seventh solo show with David Zwirner; introduces new medium of Color-aid paper collages.
Group and gallery exhibitions
Scroll horizontally if needed →
| Year | Dates | Title | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | January 15 – February 21, 2026 | Breakthrough: Prints from ULAE | David Zwirner, New York (20th Street) | Not supplied |
| 2025 | February 18 – April 12, 2025 | Lisa Yuskavage (solo) | David Zwirner, Los Angeles | First LA solo in ~30 years |
Publications
Continued scholarly attention via 2025 Morgan Library exhibition (works-on-paper focus). Prior monographs/catalogues: The Brood (Skira Rizzoli, 2015), Wilderness (2020), Babie Brood / Small Paintings 1985-2018 (David Zwirner Books, 2019).
Museum collections
Note
Tier-1 US museum saturation plus international presence (Long Museum, Shanghai). Sourced from artist's official bio (yuskavage.com) and cross-referenced with Sotheby's/Artsy.
Confirmed collection list 2026
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Hammer Museum, Los Angeles
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC
- Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
- Long Museum, Shanghai (China — international/Asian institutional validation)
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles
- The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York
- Rubell Museum, Miami
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
- Seattle Art Museum
- Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
Career & Biography
Research updated
Career
Career milestones
- Year
- 1990
- Event
- First New York solo exhibition (dissatisfied, stopped painting for a year)
- Year
- 1991-1993
- Event
- Breakthrough 'Bad Babies' series - dramatic change in direction
- Year
- 1993
- Event
- Early 1990s teaching position at Cooper Union adult education (created 'Tit Heaven' watercolor series)
- Year
- 2000
- Event
- Included in Whitney Biennial
- Year
- 2005
- Event
- Began representation by David Zwirner
- Year
- 2015
- Event
- Major retrospective 'The Brood' at Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University
- Year
- 2019
- Event
- Aspen Award for Art
- Year
- 2025
- Event
- First comprehensive museum exhibition of drawings at Morgan Library & Museum (June-January 2026)
Recent milestones
- Year
- 2025
Event
Lisa Yuskavage: Drawings — first career-spanning museum exhibition dedicated to her drawings, Morgan Library & Museum, NY (June 27, 2025 – January 4, 2026), curated by Claire Gilman
- Year
- 2026
Event
Seventh solo exhibition with David Zwirner, New York (19th Street), May 14–June 26, 2026, debuting a new medium: collages on green Color-aid paper
Working methods update
Continues studio-based practice returning to her own invented imagery rather than appropriated images. 2026 body of work introduces collages on Color-aid paper combining pastel, egg tempera, gouache, and pasted elements ('Night Classes in Color Theory' series) — a new medium expansion.
Identity
- Note
- Getty ULAN verified: b. May 16, 1962, Philadelphia, PA; American; female. No change to core identity.
Awards honors
- Aspen Award for Art (2019)
- Temple University Gallery of Success Award (2005)
- Founder's Day Certificate of Honor, Tyler School of the Arts (2000)
- Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant (1996)
- MacDowell Colony Fellowship (1994)
- Zimtbaum Foundation Fellowship, Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown (1986)
- Current location
- Lives and works in New York City (confirmed 2025-2026 sources)
Artistic background
Grew up in working-class Juniata Park neighborhood of Philadelphia. Father was pie truck driver, mother a homemaker. Discovered art around age 12. Attended Philadelphia High School for Girls. Early influences from Edgar Degas (while working as lifeguard and aerobics teacher), Giovanni Bellini, Johannes Vermeer, and Color Field painting. Later influenced by Neo Pop artists Jeff Koons and Mike Kelley, as well as filmmakers (David Cronenberg's 'The Brood', Rainer Werner Fassbinder, David Lynch's 'Blue Velvet').
Artistic Profile
Research updated
Evolution
Trajectory: subdued early monochrome figures (1985-90) → confrontational saturated 'Bad Babies' (1991-95) → misty pastel 'Bad Habits' (1996-98) → landscape/fantastical settings (2000s-2010s) → 2020s expansion into large-scale narrative canvases and, by 2026, Color-aid paper collage.
Influences
- John Currin (Yale classmate, similar figurative revival)
- Elizabeth Peyton (contemporary, figurative painting revival)
- Cecily Brown (compared as 'bad girl' painter)
- Sue Williams (contemporary feminist painter)
- Marlene Dumas (figurative painter)
- Neo Rauch (figurative painter)
- Chris Ofili (figurative painter)
- Jesse Murry (Yale friend and painter)
Visual language
Extension
2026 Color-aid collage work foregrounds color-theory experimentation (the 'green' ground of the Wrist Corsage exemplar now formalized into a dedicated color-theory series), reinforcing the fingerprint's emphasis on chromatic saturation and color as primary carrier of meaning.
Fingerprint confirmation
Confirms Egon fingerprint: near-monochromatic/analogous chromatic-haze fields (teal-green, rose-magenta), figure-ground dissolution, lost/soft edges, diffuse light, cropped nude female figures. Magic-Realist/Surrealist register with Old Master (Mannerist) technique fused with mass-culture kitsch.
Themes and subjects
Signature motifs
- Perky-breasted, button-nosed women
- Doll-like, Cabbage Patch faces
- Cartoonish exaggerated proportions
- Nude figures in fantastical settings
- Dramatically lit interiors
- Overripe fruit (pomegranates, plums, pears)
- Small sculptures and maquettes
- Studio props and painting-within-painting
- Peacocks (symbol of immortality)
- Monochrome canvases propped in studios
- Acid-bright, toxic-sunset landscapes
- Hard, fixed eyes on viewer
- Beaded panties and cheap accessories
- Working-class signifiers (feathered hair, pearl buttons)
Movements and periods
Influences art historical precedents
- Renaissance: Giovanni Bellini, Raphael
- Baroque: Caravaggio (lighting), Gianlorenzo Bernini
- Dutch Masters: Johannes Vermeer
- French: Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Édouard Vuillard, Pierre Bonnard, Edgar Degas
- Surrealism: Giorgio de Chirico, René Magritte
- Modern: Color Field Painting, Philip Guston
- Contemporary: Jeff Koons, Mike Kelley (Neo Pop)
- Popular culture: Penthouse magazine, soft porn aesthetics
- Film: David Cronenberg, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, David Lynch
Techniques and mediums
Confirmed core
Oil on canvas/linen with extensive sfumato and layered glazes; watercolor and graphite on paper; monotype, etching, aquatint and lithography (ULAE, West Islip).
New medium 2026
Introduced collages on green Color-aid paper (slightly textured) incorporating pastel, egg tempera, gouache, and pasted/collaged elements — debuted in the 2026 David Zwirner show ('Night Classes in Color Theory' series, e.g., 'Green V', 2026). Represents a notable material expansion beyond oil painting and watercolor.
Critical Reception
Research updated
Critical reception
Cultural impact
- Featured in Showtime series 'The L Word' (Season 2, Episode 4)
- Mentioned in Kevin Kwan's 'China Rich Girlfriend' (Crazy Rich Asians trilogy)
- Featured in Tamara Jenkins' 2018 film 'Private Life' (artwork gifted to characters)
- Created artist edition album cover for Billie Eilish 'Happier Than Ever'
- Metropolitan Museum of Art's online series 'The Artist Project' (2015) - discussed Édouard Vuillard
Narrative update
2025-2026 criticism consolidates her status as, in institutional framing, one of the most original and influential figurative artists of the past three decades. The Morgan Library show marks near-complete canonization, extending critical seriousness from her paintings to her drawing and printmaking practice.
Critical narrative arc
Early career (1990s): Highly controversial, dismissed by some critics as misogynistic, defended by others as ironic commentary on male gaze. Lane Relyea's scathing Artforum reviews. Mid-career (2000s-2010s): Critical reassessment focusing on technical mastery, color theory, and art historical positioning. Comparison to Old Masters and serious engagement with painting tradition. Current (2015-present): Established as major contemporary painter; feminist critique softened with recognition of work's complexity. 2015 retrospective and 2025 Morgan Library exhibition signal full institutional acceptance.
Recent coverage 2025 2026
- Date
- September 2025
Topic
Feature on the Morgan Library drawings exhibition — framed her drawings as the 'blueprints' underpinning her subversive career; recounts the show originated when David Zwirner approached curator Claire Gilman.
- Outlet
- Artnet News
- Date
- November 2025
- Topic
- Review of her genre-defying works on paper at the Morgan Library & Museum.
- Outlet
- Hyperallergic
- Date
- August 2025
- Topic
- 'Lisa Yuskavage's Lessons in Life Drawing' — spotlight on drawing practice and process.
- Outlet
- Ocula
Art historical positioning
Associated with 1990s revival of figurative painting alongside John Currin, Elizabeth Peyton, Cecily Brown. Positioned within discourse on representation of female body, male gaze, and feminist aesthetics. Technical comparisons to Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Giovanni Bellini, Johannes Vermeer, Edgar Degas, Édouard Vuillard, Pierre Bonnard, Philip Guston, Color Field painters.
Publications and media
Note
Morgan Library positioned her works on paper within the historical drawing canon — a significant art-historical elevation for a living contemporary painter.
Major reviews publications
- Year
- 1994/1996
- Critic
- Lane Relyea
Content
Highly critical review describing paintings as 'visual stink bombs' and 'Hello Sex Kitties'; accused artist of 'caricaturing women in an ideological shorthand and raping them' and making 'a travesty of the medium'
- Publication
- Artforum
- Significance
- Controversial early reception that Yuskavage embraced as validation
- Year
- 1990s
- Author
- Amelia Jones (feminist art historian)
- Content
- Described work as 'soft porn'
- Publication
- Washington Post
- Significance
- Feminist criticism positioned work as controversial
- Year
- 2007
- Critic
- Frances Richard
- Content
- Praised as 'her generation's best colorist'; noted 'toxic-sunset palette' and 'heaving, tendril-like line'
- Publication
- Artforum
- Significance
- Shift to recognition of technical mastery
- Year
- 2000s
- Critic
- Katy Siegel
- Content
- Essay 'Blonde Ambition' - serious analysis comparing her to Jasper Johns; discussed 'hermetic, highly personal art'
- Publication
- Artforum
- Significance
- Positioned work within serious art historical discourse
- Year
- Various
- Critic
- Roberta Smith
- Content
- Praised 'combination of mixed subliminal messages, deliciously artificial color and forthright sexuality'; called backgrounds 'breathtaking'
- Publication
- The New York Times
- Significance
- Validation from major mainstream art critic
View 5 more records
- Year
- 2011, 2012
- Content
- Articles including 'Dangerous Beauty' and 'Good Twins: Lisa Yuskavage and Edouard Vuillard'
- Critics
- Peter Schjeldahl, Andrea K. Scott
- Publication
- The New Yorker
- Significance
- High-profile cultural magazine coverage
- Year
- 2019
- Content
- Review of 2018 exhibitions noting evolution to more complex couple scenes
- Publication
- Art in America
- Significance
- Ongoing critical engagement
- Year
- 2019
- Content
- Article 'Lisa Yuskavage Doesn't Want to Be a Good Feminist. Her Paintings Are Better for It'
- Publication
- Artsy
- Significance
- Contemporary reassessment of feminist critique
- Year
- 2025
- Author
- M.H. Miller
- Content
- Profile: 'She defies the archetype of the good feminist — now Lisa Yuskavage is on top of the art world'
- Publication
- T: The New York Times Style Magazine
- Significance
- Recognition of career peak and market dominance
- Year
- 2011, 2025
- Content
- Multiple articles and reviews including 2025 essay on drawings exhibition
- Publication
- The Brooklyn Rail
- Significance
- Sustained critical attention
Gallery & Representation
Research updated
- Fair presence
- Active at major fairs via David Zwirner, including Art Basel Miami Beach (e.g., 'Peacock' 2024 presented December 2025).
Representation
- Tier
- Blue-chip mega-gallery (Tier 1)
- Notes
- David Zwirner represents over 80 artists and estates; active in primary and secondary markets
- Status
- Confirmed current and active as of 2026
- Gallery
- David Zwirner
Locations
- New York
- Los Angeles
- London
- Paris
- Hong Kong
Gallery evolution
Progressed from emerging galleries (Elizabeth Koury, Marianne Boesky) in 1990s to blue-chip representation (David Zwirner) from 2005. This trajectory reflects market maturation and institutional validation.
- Relationship start
- 2005
- Exhibition frequency
- Regular solo exhibitions: 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2025
Current market strategy
Gallery-controlled primary market with selective museum exhibitions and publications. 2015 exhibition sold out before opening, indicating strong demand management.
Exhibition frequency update
The May 2026 New York show is her seventh solo with the gallery; recent cadence: 2023 (Paris, Rendez-vous), 2025 (Los Angeles), 2026 (New York, 19th St), plus ULAE prints presentation (Jan-Feb 2026).
Previous gallery representation
Scroll horizontally if needed →
| Notes | Period | Gallery |
|---|---|---|
| Key early representation; mentioned in provenance of works from 1990s-2003 | 1990s-early 2000s | Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York |
| Breakthrough exhibition with 'Tit Heaven' watercolors and 'Bad Babies' | Early 1990s | Elizabeth Koury Gallery, New York |
| 1996 Los Angeles solo exhibition (received controversial Artforum review by Lane Relyea) | 1990s | Christopher Grimes Gallery, Santa Monica |
| Mentioned in exhibition history | 1990s | Luhring Augustine, New York |
| Solo exhibition | 1997 | Studio Guenzani, Milan |
Sources & research notes
Egon’s artist research combines historical auction records, recent sales, institutional history, critical reception and gallery information. Researched auction records and auction highlights are identified separately.
Read prices with their work, sale date, currency and stated basis. Egon’s market assessments are distinct from reported auction results.
Reference: Egon, “Lisa Yuskavage: Market Intelligence & Investment Profile.”
Research bibliography · 17 sources
Sources recorded for this artist’s research. This bibliography does not assign every source to an individual claim.
- Lisa Yuskavage | Art for Sale, Results & Biography | Sotheby's
- Lisa Yuskavage Sold at Auction Prices | Invaluable
- Lisa Yuskavage - lots in our price database | LotSearch
- Lisa Yuskavage: Feminine Identity and Art Market Influence
- Lisa Yuskavage | New York: 19th Street | May 14—June 26, 2026 | David Zwirner
- Lisa Yuskavage - Exhibitions | David Zwirner
- 'Lisa Yuskavage' at David Zwirner, New York: 19th Street | Ocula
- Lisa Yuskavage: Drawings | The Morgan Library & Museum
- Lisa Yuskavage Exhibition (press) | The Morgan Library & Museum
- Lisa Yuskavage's Drawings Are the Blueprints for Her Subversive Career | Artnet News
- Lisa Yuskavage's Genre-Defying Works on Paper at the Morgan | Hyperallergic
- Lisa Yuskavage's Lessons in Life Drawing | Ocula
- Bio - Yuskavage (official website)
- Lisa Yuskavage - Wikipedia
- Lisa Yuskavage - Art & Prints for Sale | Artsy
- Lisa Yuskavage | Artnet
- Lisa Yuskavage's Art For Sale, Exhibitions & Biography | Ocula
Research updates by section
These dates show when Egon’s research sections were updated. Source retrieval dates, where supplied above, refer to individual evidence notes.
Ranking updated . Research sections follow their own update dates.
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