Known for her meticulously-composed realism, Erin Cone distills the emotion of traditional figurative painting into abstracted compositions, for a bold vision all her own. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting and working briefly in the design industry, Cone had her first solo show at the age of 24 and has been painting full-time ever since. From the beginning, Cone's paintings have captured a unique fusion of aesthetics—combining the evocative detail of magical realism with the simplicity of minimal abstraction to create something completely new. Cone emphasizes visual impact over narrative context, focusing on the subtle orchestration of her subject within a framework of design. She creates a deliberate push-and-pull between near-photorealistic detail and her own vocabulary of visual glitches that challenge that very realism. This duality is central to Cone’s work and allows the figures she paints to remain wholly representational while functioning abstractly — evoking emotion without defining it. Since her first show in 2001, Cone has had twenty-six solo shows and participated in more than a dozen group shows across the U.S. and in Europe, consistently enjoying critical and commercial success for her unconventional approach to figurative realism. She has twice been recognized in the national art press as a top emerging artist, has been interviewed on PBS, and has been featured in numerous art magazines—appearing on the cover of American Art Collector Magazine and Southwest Art Magazine, among others. Cone's work is in hundreds of private, public, and corporate collections throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. She lives with her husband and daughter in Santa Fe, New Mexico. EDUCATION 1998 University of Texas, Austin TX, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting SOLO EXHIBITIONS2020 Time & Tide, Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico2018 Boundless, Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico2017 Stages of Believing, Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico2016 Wish Fulfillment, Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico2015 Ineffable, Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico2015 Emergence, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California2014 Modiste, Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico2013 Desiderata, Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico2012 Theory of Forms, Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico2012 Ingénue, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California2011 Denouement, Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico2010 Passages, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California2009 Blessed Unrest, Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico2008 Possible Outcomes, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California2008 Departure, Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, Texas2007 Synchronicity, Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico2006 Secrets, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California2006 Performers, Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, Texas2005 3, Andreeva Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico2005 Erin Cone: 5th Annual Show, Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, Texas2004 Transformation, Seven-o-seven Contemporary, Santa Fe, New Mexico2004 Interval, Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, Texas2003 Configuration, Seven-o-seven Contemporary, Santa Fe, New Mexico2003 Erin Cone: New Paintings, Wally Workman Gallery, Austin, Texas SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS2021 Caesura, Nuart Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico2021 Art Miami, Simon Breitbard Fine Arts, Miami, Florida2019 Figurations 2019, Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico2018 The New Real III, Tinney Contemporary, Nashville, Tennessee2013 20th Anniversary Exhibition, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California2012 Distilled Memory, Decorazon Gallery, London, UK2011 In Portrait, Blank Space Gallery, New York, New York2011 New Work by Gallery Artists, Lanoue Fine Art, Boston, Massachusetts2011 Summer Group Show, Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, California2010 New Work, Rosenbaum Contemporary, Boca Raton, Florida2009 Artist's Choice, Principle Gallery, Alexandria, Virginia2009 RED, Nüart Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico2008 Inaugural Exhibit, MMFA, Palm Desert, California2007 Representation: 9th Annual Realism Invitational, Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, New York, New York2006 Small Works, Principle Gallery, Alexandria, Virginia2005 Self Portraits by Contemporary Masters, Andreeva Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico SELECTED PUBLICATIONSAmerican Art Collector, August 2019American Art Collector, October 2018American Art Collector, October 2015Fine Art Connoisseur, June 2015Santa Fean Magazine, Dec 2014/Jan 2015American Art Collector, October 2014L'Artiste Magazine, September 2014American Art Collector, October 2013The Artist's Magazine, October 2013Juxtapoz.com, August 2013Nova Magazine, June 2013Poets & Artists Magazine, September 2012Architectural Digest Magazine, July 2012Oxford American Magazine, June 2012Professional Artist Magazine, June 2012Poets & Artists Magazine, June 2012MYP Magazine, April 2012American Art Collector, May 2011THE Magazine, May 2011New American Paintings (Vol. 90), Oct/Nov 2010Poets and Artists Magazine, August 2010; Cover artist »American Art Collector Magazine, June 2010Southwest Art Magazine, September 2008 Cover artist »Art Calendar Magazine, January 2008; Cover artist »American Art Collector, October 2006; Cover artist »Marin Magazine, October 2006Southwest Art Magazine, November 2005Santa Fean Magazine, June 2005Art & Antiques Magazine, April 2005Southwest Art Magazine, September 2003 SELECTED COLLECTIONSDepartment of Cultural Affairs/New Mexico Arts Permanent Collection, Santa Fe, New MexicoEllen Noël Art Museum, Odessa, TexasFour Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Washington, D.C.The Howard Tullman Collection, Chicago, IllinoisStandard Chartered Bank, London, UK