Egon 100 / Lisa Yuskavage

Lisa Yuskavage

American b. 1962 Egon Score: 42.8
Blue-chip
#51
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage

Egon Investment Scores

Liquidity
8/10
How easily works can be bought and sold at auction
Institutional
10/10
Museum collections, biennials, and institutional recognition
Momentum
9/10
Recent price trends, gallery moves, and market buzz
Discovery
1/10
Undervaluation opportunity relative to peer artists
Risk
1/10
Investment risk factors — higher means more volatile

Market Position

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.
Market Depth Meta
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Sell Through Meta
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Annual Volume Meta
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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.
Pricing Meta
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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. CollinsDavid and Monica ZwirnerForce Villareal Collection
Geographic Concentration
Primarily US collectors and institutions
Institutional Collectors
Major US museums acquiring through purchase and donation
Liquidity Meta
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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.
Record Meta
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Highest Price
$1,384,000 USD
Upcoming Lots
Date
June 25, 2026
Work
Bouquet
Auction
Sotheby's Contemporary Day Auction, London
Estimate
£80,000–£120,000 GBP
Upcoming Lots Meta
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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
2024 2025
Date
May 13, 2024
Work
The Mound (2011)
Medium
oil on canvas, 84 x 72 in
Auction
Sotheby's The Now Evening Auction
Estimate
$600,000-$800,000 USD
Date
November 16, 2023
Work
Déjà Vu (2017)
Medium
oil on linen, 80 x 80 in
Auction
Sotheby's Contemporary Day Auction
Estimate
$600,000-$800,000 USD
Date
March 4, 2024
Work
Tit Heaven #22 (1992)
Medium
watercolor on paper, 30¼ x 22½ in
Auction
Sotheby's
Date
February 27, 2025
Work
PXLP (1998)
Medium
oil on canvas, 6 x 12 in
Auction
Christie's
Date
April 17, 2025
Work
Weeds (etching/aquatint)
Medium
prints
Auction
Phillips
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)
Recent Auction Activity 2025 2026
WorkDateResultAuctionMediumOutcome
Photoshoot (2020)May 15, 2026$832,000 USD (sold above high estimate)Sotheby's Contemporary Day Auction, New Yorkoil on canvas, in 2 parts, overall 62 x 58.5 insold
Ludlow StreetMay 15, 2026$768,000 USD (sold below low estimate)Sotheby's Contemporary Day Auction, New Yorksold
Wine and CheeseOctober 17, 2025Christie'soil on canvas, 77 3/8 x 50 inoffered
Wee Headshrinker (1996)November 20, 2025Sotheby'soil on canvas, ~10 x 8 inoffered
Bad Laura IINovember 26, 2025Christie'soil on panel, 9 7/8 x 7 7/8 inoffered
Warm Bouquet (2001)August 15, 2025$145,161 USD (exceeded high estimate)Sotheby'swatercolour and graphite on paper, 141.5 x 93.5 cmsold
Ethnic NudeMarch 7, 2026Christie'soil on canvas, 12 1/8 x 9 inoffered
Kathy ThinkingJanuary 2026$100 (per partial database; likely a print/multiple or work on paper, not a major canvas)Phillipssold
Recent Auction Activity 2025 2026 Meta
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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.
Comparables Meta
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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.
Auction History Meta
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Market Position Meta
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Investment Outlook Meta
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Institutional Presence

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York

Wrist Corsage (1996), Pink Studio (Rendezvous) (2021), Hippies in Tit Heaven (2015)

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Big Northview (2001), Kingdom (2006), Socialclimber (1998)

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Art Institute of Chicago

Smithsonian Institution

Philadelphia Museum of Art

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Hammer Museum, Los Angeles

Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles

Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Buffalo, NY

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC

Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston

Seattle Art Museum

Rubell Museum, Miami

Long Museum, Shanghai

Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam

Denver Art Museum

Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, North Carolina

Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven

Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

Exhibitions
Group Exhibitions
TitleYearVenue
2000Whitney Biennial
Women Painting Women2022Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Circa 1995: New Figuration in New York2025David Zwirner, New York
Major Solo Exhibitions
TitleYearVenue
Lisa Yuskavage2000Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
2001Centre d'Art Contemporain, Geneva
2006Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico City
New Work (concurrent exhibitions)2006David Zwirner and Zwirner & Wirth, New York
2011The Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin
Lisa Yuskavage: The Brood2015Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Lisa Yuskavage: Wilderness2020Aspen Art Museum
New Paintings2021David Zwirner, New York
Rendez-vous2023David Zwirner, Paris
2025David Zwirner, Los Angeles
Lisa Yuskavage: Drawings2025-2026Morgan Library & Museum, New York
Lisa Yuskavage: Drawings2025-2026The Morgan Library & Museum, New York
Lisa Yuskavage (new and recent paintings and works on paper)2026David Zwirner, New York (533 West 19th Street)
Major Solo Exhibitions Meta
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Group and Gallery Exhibitions
TitleYearDatesVenue
Breakthrough: Prints from ULAE2026January 15 – February 21, 2026David Zwirner, New York (20th Street)
Lisa Yuskavage (solo)2025February 18 – April 12, 2025David Zwirner, Los Angeles
Group and Gallery Exhibitions Meta
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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).
Exhibitions Meta
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Publications Meta
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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.
Note Meta
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Confirmed Collection List 2026
Art Institute of ChicagoHammer Museum, Los AngelesHirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DCInstitute of Contemporary Art, BostonLong Museum, Shanghai (China — international/Asian institutional validation)The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkThe Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los AngelesThe Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New YorkRubell Museum, MiamiSan Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)Seattle Art MuseumWalker Art Center, MinneapolisWhitney Museum of American Art, New York
Confirmed Collection List 2026 Meta
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Museum Collections Meta
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Career & Biography

Career
Career Milestones
YearEvent
1990First New York solo exhibition (dissatisfied, stopped painting for a year)
1991-1993Breakthrough 'Bad Babies' series - dramatic change in direction
1993Early 1990s teaching position at Cooper Union adult education (created 'Tit Heaven' watercolor series)
2000Included in Whitney Biennial
2005Began representation by David Zwirner
2015Major retrospective 'The Brood' at Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University
2019Aspen Award for Art
2025First comprehensive museum exhibition of drawings at Morgan Library & Museum (June-January 2026)
Recent Milestones
YearEvent
2025Lisa 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
2026Seventh solo exhibition with David Zwirner, New York (19th Street), May 14–June 26, 2026, debuting a new medium: collages on green Color-aid paper
Recent Milestones Meta
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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.
Working Methods Update Meta
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Identity
Note
Getty ULAN verified: b. May 16, 1962, Philadelphia, PA; American; female. No change to core identity.
Note Meta
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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').
Current Location Meta
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Career Meta
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Identity Meta
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Artistic Profile

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)
Evolution Meta
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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 womenDoll-like, Cabbage Patch facesCartoonish exaggerated proportionsNude figures in fantastical settingsDramatically lit interiorsOverripe fruit (pomegranates, plums, pears)Small sculptures and maquettesStudio props and painting-within-paintingPeacocks (symbol of immortality)Monochrome canvases propped in studiosAcid-bright, toxic-sunset landscapesHard, fixed eyes on viewerBeaded panties and cheap accessoriesWorking-class signifiers (feathered hair, pearl buttons)
Visual Language Meta
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Movements and Periods
Influences Art Historical Precedents
Renaissance: Giovanni Bellini, RaphaelBaroque: Caravaggio (lighting), Gianlorenzo BerniniDutch Masters: Johannes VermeerFrench: Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Édouard Vuillard, Pierre Bonnard, Edgar DegasSurrealism: Giorgio de Chirico, René MagritteModern: Color Field Painting, Philip GustonContemporary: Jeff Koons, Mike Kelley (Neo Pop)Popular culture: Penthouse magazine, soft porn aestheticsFilm: 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.
Techniques and Mediums Meta
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Critical Reception

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.
Narrative Update Meta
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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
DateOutletTopic
September 2025Artnet NewsFeature 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.
November 2025HyperallergicReview of her genre-defying works on paper at the Morgan Library & Museum.
August 2025Ocula'Lisa Yuskavage's Lessons in Life Drawing' — spotlight on drawing practice and process.
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.
Recent Coverage 2025 2026 Meta
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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.
Note Meta
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Major Reviews Publications
YearSignificanceContentPublication
1994/1996Controversial early reception that Yuskavage embraced as validationHighly 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'Artforum
1990sFeminist criticism positioned work as controversialDescribed work as 'soft porn'Washington Post
2007Shift to recognition of technical masteryPraised as 'her generation's best colorist'; noted 'toxic-sunset palette' and 'heaving, tendril-like line'Artforum
2000sPositioned work within serious art historical discourseEssay 'Blonde Ambition' - serious analysis comparing her to Jasper Johns; discussed 'hermetic, highly personal art'Artforum
VariousValidation from major mainstream art criticPraised 'combination of mixed subliminal messages, deliciously artificial color and forthright sexuality'; called backgrounds 'breathtaking'The New York Times
2011, 2012High-profile cultural magazine coverageArticles including 'Dangerous Beauty' and 'Good Twins: Lisa Yuskavage and Edouard Vuillard'The New Yorker
2019Ongoing critical engagementReview of 2018 exhibitions noting evolution to more complex couple scenesArt in America
2019Contemporary reassessment of feminist critiqueArticle 'Lisa Yuskavage Doesn't Want to Be a Good Feminist. Her Paintings Are Better for It'Artsy
2025Recognition of career peak and market dominanceProfile: 'She defies the archetype of the good feminist — now Lisa Yuskavage is on top of the art world'T: The New York Times Style Magazine
2011, 2025Sustained critical attentionMultiple articles and reviews including 2025 essay on drawings exhibitionThe Brooklyn Rail
Critical Reception Meta
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Publications and Media Meta
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