Amy Sillman
PainterMixed MediaKnown for:
gestural abstract painting and animated comics
Education:
School of Visual Arts (BFA, 1979); Bard College (MFA, 1995)
Amy Sillman has developed a painting practice rooted in Abstract Expressionism that consistently introduces comic imagery, digitally printed elements, and explicit political content - particularly around feminism and queer experience - into her gestural canvases. She also makes animations and publishes the small-format comics magazine Sucker. She teaches at Bard College and is among the most intellectually engaged painters working in New York, combining rigorous formal concerns with accessible wit.
Amy Sillman's Gear List(2)
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Uses oil and acrylic together on linen, applying paint with rags, trowels, and scrapers rather than traditional brushes
Product description
Oil paint — pigment suspended in a drying oil, typically linseed — has been the dominant painting medium since the fifteenth century. It dries slowly, allowing extended blending, and produces a rich, luminous surface. Available from dozens of manufacturers at student through professional grades.
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Last updated March 20, 2026
