Elizabeth Peyton paints portraits of people who matter to her. Be they the iconic faces of Princess Diana, Andy Warhol, Liam Gallagher, and Leonardo DiCaprio or the unfamiliar visages of her friends, lovers, and acquaintances, all appear delicate and painterly, glossy and jewel-like, small in format, and distinctly intimate--as if Peyton knew and loved them all equally. Titles, which reveal only the models' first names, likewise suggest a closeness between the artist and her subject. Working with public photographs borrowed from books and pop magazines, and private photographs shot by herself, the media experience and mediated personality is questioned, transformed, and absorbed into her personal world via the process of painting. Her subjects, fragily beautiful and forever young, are glossed over with a melancholy that recognizes the high price paid for eternal youth.

American artist Elizabeth Peyton is one of the most outstanding artists of her generation, a painter known for her intimate figurative portraits of youthful, romantic individuals ranging from friends to historical figures to world music celebrities. Her work is intensely personal, but the subject becomes an intimate of both audience and artist. Peyton's ability to draw the viewer in is a result of her own fascination and curiosity about the figures she chooses. They are stylish in a timeless way and are at moments in their lives when they stand for their own ideals of independence, beauty, and artistry. Her manner is to paint small, devotional images in an "awkward,self-effacing way with an offhand intensity."

Compiled by Peyton herself, this book chronicles ten years of inspiration, her works in many media, and her exhibitions, revealing the evolution of this exceptional artist who has been highly influential, in the words of the New York Times, in bringing "a return to beauty in art, a resurgence of figurative work, and a revival of painting."

Introduction Matthew Higgs

PLATES

Ouverture: Elizabeth Peyton MeicostEttal

Blood and Punk Royalty to Grunge Royalty Roberta Smith

An Interview with a Painter's Model Linda Pilgrim

Getting Real Jerry Sala

Elizabeth Peyton Giorgio VerZotti

At the Prince's Chateau Dave Hickey

A Conversation with the Artist SteveLafreniere

Biography and Bibliography

List of Works