Lisa Edelstein

Lisa Edelstein mines her own family history in works that transform vintage photographs into compositions that acutely capture the color and texture of the moment in time they were taken. The images are candid, the figures largely unposed and caught off-guard, implying action on either side of the frozen moment depicted. Edelstein’s interest in storytelling arises across the various avenues of her artistic practice, including painting, writing, and acting.

Edelstein’s paintings are deeply rooted in the Jewish diasporic experience of growing up within a multigenerational family whose elders fled violence and discrimination to find success in the new world. The lush surroundings of her paintings – designed interiors, new cars, dance lessons – signal a flourishing made possible by this new start in America, while also firmly rejecting the deprivations of wartime Europe that hover in the recent past.

The paintings maintain the feel of a snapshot throughout, mimicking the scale and shape of the scrapbook down to the square polaroid and oval-cut portrait. Edelstein’s watercolor medium perfectly suits the soft lines and haze of memory that characterize old photographs. Moments gain new meaning in translation, as details reveal themselves through close observation and magnification. Her works transport the viewer to a different time, and are filled with tenderness towards the jumble of personalities and physical spaces that bring a family to life. Edelstein's practice is contemplative and reflective, intimate, personal and extremely rigorous. Through the lens of both the female and Jewish gaze, she draws you in, welcoming you into her family while also holding a mirror up to your own.

Lisa Edelstein (b. 1966, Boston, MA) attended NYU Tisch School of the Arts before leaving to work as an actress, writer and filmmaker, eventually expanding her practice to painting. Her artwork has been exhibited with Anat Ebgi Gallery, Charlie James Gallery, and Gavlak Gallery and her art practice has been profiled in Forbes Magazine. A work from Charlie James gallery was recently acquired by LACMA as part of their permanent collection. Upcoming shows include a two person exhibition with her husband, artist Robert Russell, at Skirball, May 2026, a solo show at Adam Cohen’s A Hug From the Art World in NYC, spring 2026 as well as a group show at the Weisman Museum, Los Angeles, in September of 2027.

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