Alison Van Pelt

United States

BIOGRAPHY

Alison Van Pelt is an acclaimed contemporary painter known for her evocative, dreamlike portraits that blend elements of abstraction and realism. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Van Pelt studied at prestigious institutions including UCLA, Art Center College of Design, Otis College of Art and Design, and the Florence Academy of Art. Her diverse education and fascination with the human form and art history have shaped her distinctive approach to painting.

Van Pelt’s work is characterized by its ethereal quality, achieved through a meticulous process of layering paint and then blurring or obscuring the image. Faces and figures emerge and dissolve across the surface, evoking the passage of time and the ephemeral nature of memory. Her portraits, often referencing iconic figures or personal subjects, invite viewers into a meditative exploration of identity, perception, and transformation.

Drawing inspiration from a wide range of artistic traditions, including Renaissance portraiture and contemporary abstraction, Van Pelt’s paintings transcend specific styles or movements. The delicate balance of structure and ambiguity in her work creates a powerful visual and emotional impact, leaving a lasting impression on viewers.

Van Pelt has exhibited her work widely in galleries and museums, including the Santa Monica Museum of Art, the Pasadena Museum of California Art, and the Laguna Art Museum. Her paintings are part of esteemed private and public collections, earning her a reputation as a masterful artist whose work resonates deeply with audiences around the world.

Living and working in Los Angeles, Van Pelt continues to explore the boundaries of portraiture, creating works that are as much about what is hidden as what is revealed.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

Ferrari, Casterline/Goodman Gallery, Art Expo,Chicago, 2024

Women and My Wall, Casterline/Goodman Gallery, Art Basel, Miami, 2023

The Wild, Casterline/Goodman Gallery, Aspen,Colorado, 2022

Alison Van Pelt, The Claudia Taylor Project, Malibu, California, 2020

The Hummingbird, Van Pelt Studios, 2019

The Tree, Van Pelt Studios, 2018

The Elephant, Van Pelt Studios, 2017

Africa, Van Pelt Studios, 2016

All American, Van Pelt Studios, 2015

S’aints, Van Pelt Studios, 2014

The Horse, Ochi Gallery, Sun Valley, ID, 2013

If I Were Ed Ruscha..., Ventura College, Ventura, CA, 2011

All American, Ochi Gallery, Ketchum, ID, December 2010 January 2011

Alison Van Pelt: The Women, The Fresno Art Museum, Fresno, CA June 5-September 15 2006

LA Art House, Alison Van Pelt, 2009

The Women, The Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH, January 2004 - June 2004

America: The News, Chac Mool Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2004

Paintings on Paper, Chac Mool Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2002

Green , Spike Gallery, New York, NY, 2002

Fight, Ochi, Los Angeles, CA 2000

Flight and the Figure, Ochi, Ketchum, ID 1999

Figures, Gallery 813, Los Angeles, CA 1999

Blue, Gallerie Lauter, Manheim, Germany 1998

Eros, Robert Berman Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA 1998

Motion, Robert Berman Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA 1997

Les Animaux Nouveaux, Gallerie Vedovi, Brussels, Belgium 1997

Blue, Robert Berman Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA 1995

New Paintings, Gallerie Lauter, Manheim, Germany 1995

New Works, Aschenbach Galerie, Amsterdam, Netherlands 1994

Recent Works, Robert Berman Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA

New Paintings, Roger Smith Gallery, New York, NY 1994

New Work, Gallerie Paul Sties, Kronberg, Germany 1993

New Paintings, Robert Berman Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA 1992

Nouvelles Oeuvres, Ulla Lutz Studio, Basel, Switzerland 1992

La French Collection, Les Andelys, France 1992

Tableaux Nouveaux, Ader Tajan, Paris, France 1992

New Works, B-1 Gallery, Santa Monica, CA 1991

Aschenbach Galerie, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1990

B1 Gallery, Faces, 1989

Paris Underground, Los Angeles, CA, 1988

EmHouse, Hollywood, 1988

Paris Review, Los Angeles, CA, 1987

The Loft, Downtown Los Angeles, 1986

Color, Spring Street Gallery, Downtown Los Angeles, CA, 1985

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

Colombe de la Paix, Keren Hayessod, Paris, France, 2024

The Elephant, Artma, Morgan Adams Foundation, Space Gallery, Denver, Colorado, 2023

Art Crush, Aspen Art Museum, 2022

The Hummingbird, Lotusland, 2022

Alison Van Pelt at Casterline Goodman Gallery, Art Fair Aspen, 2022

The Circle of Truth, Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA, 2021

Hummingbird, The Shay, Culver City, 2021

The Circle of Truth, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, OCCCA, Orange County, CA, 2020

The Circle of Truth, Winslow Arizona Art Museum, Winslow, Arizona, 2020

The Circle of Truth, Museum of Art and History, MOAH, Lancaster, CA, 2019

The Circle of Truth, NUMU, The New Museum, Los Gatos, California, 2019

Pop Culture, Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Donald H Silverman Gallery Fine Arts Gallery, Cal State LA, CA, 2019

POP! 50 Years of Art & Popular Culture from The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art at Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, 2018

Art for Art’s Sake, The Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard, CA, 2017

Light in the Dark, Sears Peyton Gallery, New York, NY, 2017

Made in California, Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ, 2014

Art for Art’s Sake, Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Marjorie Barrick Museum, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, 2014

New Work, Sears Peyton Gallery, New York, NY, 2014

Pop Culture, Boca Museum of Art, Boca Raton, FL, 2014

Under The Influence Finance - Fashion, Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard, CA, 2013

Art for Art’s Sake, The Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, Malibu,CA, 2013

California Art, Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard, CA, 2012

Creating the New Century, Contemporary Art from the Dicke Collection, Fort Collins Museum, Fort Collins, CO, 2011

Fuck Pretty, Robert Berman Gallery, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA, 2011

Creating the New Century, Contemporary Art from the Dicke Collection, The Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH, 2011

Elements of Nature: Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation Contemporary Art Center, New Orleans - 2010

Under the Influence of Fashion and Finance, Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA - 2010

Sears-Peyton Gallery, New York, NY, 2010

Art and Illusion, Selections from the Frederick R. Weismann Art Foundation, Susquehana Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA, 2009

Homage to the Artists, Ochi Gallery, Ketchum, ID - 2009

Incognito, Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, CA - 2008

LA Art House, Beverly Hills, CA- 2009

California Art, Platt/Bornstein Museum, Los Angeles, CA, 2008

Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, American Jewish Museum, Bel Air, CA, 2007

Beverly Hills Municipal Gallery, Beverly Hills, CA - 2006

Small Wonders II, Pharmaka Gallery, Los Angeles, CA - 2006

Portraits, curated by Shane Guffogg, Pharmaka Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2005

Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA - 2005

The Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH - 2005

Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA - 2004

New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA - 2004

Spike Gallery, New York, NY - 2004

California State University at Bakersfield, Bakersfield, CA - 2003

Spike Gallery, New York, NY - 2003

Las Vegas Art Museum, Las Vegas, NV - 2002

Ah Allen, New York, NY - 1998

Track 16, Santa Monica, CA - 1996

Ports of Entry, William Burroughs, A Retrospective, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA, 1996

New American Paintings, Emerging Artists, Open Studios, Needham, Mass, 1996

Robert Berman Gallery, Santa Monica, CA - 1994

Ader Tajan, Paris, France - May 1992

Robert Berman Gallery, Santa Monica, CA - 1992

Ader Tajan, Paris France, 1989

New Work, Brentwood Art Center, 1988

PUBLICATIONS

Colombe de la Paix, cover art , etc. Keren Hayessod, Ville Lumière, Paris, France, 2024

Alison Van Pelt Paintings, Favorite Things, Bal Harbour Magazine, 2024

Aspen Times, Alison Van Pelt’s Paintings Inspire, 2022

Portia DeRossi and Alison Van Pelt, The Ellen Show, 2022

Shoutout LA, Met Alison Van Pelt, April 2022

Conversations with Alison Van Pelt, Voyage Magazine, 2022

Behind The Design, Studio Collective on The Shay, SHLTR Magazine, 2022

Hotel FigueroaArt Program Honors its Feminist Roots, LA Weekly, 2022

What to See During Art Crush at Aspen Art Museum, Cultured Magazine, 2022

Architectural Digest, Inside the Home of Mark Hoppus, November 2021

Architectural Digest, A Malibu Home Far From the Coast, September 2021

The Argonaut, Finding The Light, The Paintings of Alison Van Pelt, March, 2021

Alison Van Pelt in Her Studio, Behind the Scenes, General Public, Source Book, 2021

Venice Vibes, Modern Luxury Interiors, 2021

Greatness Adjacent, Alison Van Pelt: The Magic Blur, 2020

LA Magazine, Inside the New Hotel Figueroa, LA Culture Comes to Life, 2020

Women Painters of The West, Where Women Made History, The National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2020

Haute Living, The Historic Female Centric Hotel Figueroa, 2020

Women’s Day, Remarkable Women in History, 2020

Gio Journal, Ladies First, 2020

Van Pelt’s Signature Dreamy Blurred Brushstrokes, The New Face of The Hotel Figueroa, Design LA, LA Times, 2018

Artful Amphora, Women Around Town, 2019

Digs, Hotel Figueroa gets a Renaissance in DTLA, 2019

Hotels That Tell Women’s Stories, Worth Magazine, 2019

Entrepreneur Magazine, Built and Financed by Women, 100 Year Old Hotel Stays Relevant, 2019

The DailyBeast, Inside DTLA’s Iconic Feminist Hotel Makeover, 2019

Alison Van Pelt, Portraits Come to Life, 2019

Mr & Mrs Smith, Hotel Figueroa Revitalized Heritage Beauty, 2019

LA List, Hotel Figueroa , Hipster Hangout, 2019

Hemisphere Magazine, This Hotel is a Canvas for Feminist Art, 2018

We Like LA, LA Hotel Undergoes Incredible Restorations, 2018

Live fast Magazine, Time Travel: The Badass Feminist History of DTLA’s Hotel Figueroa, 2018

Beyond Beverly Hills, Houston City Books, 2018

Steffie Nelson, The New Face of the Hotel Figuergoa, 2018

LA Times, Subtle Hotel Figueroa’s Redesign a Tribute to Women, 2018

Dwell, Hotel Figueroa Reconnects with its Feminist Roots via Vibrant Art Filled Renovation, 2018

Sunset Magazine, LA’s Hottest Hotel Makeover, 2018

Inside the new Hotel Figueroa, LA Culture Comes to Life, LA Magazine, 2018

Hotel Figueroa Honors Women as Legacy of its Past, LA Times, 301

C Magazine, Style and Culture, The Outnet Lunch at Chateau Marmont, 2017

Hotel News, Hotel Figueroa Reopens, 2016,

90265, Malibu Life and Style, issue 8, Alison Van Pelt: Body of Work, Cover and 11 full page color reproductions, 2014

Alison Van Pelt, The Jealous Curator, 2014

Heart Like a Hammer, Michael Xavier, Confluence Press, 2014

Interior Design, Let There Be Light, 3 full page color reproductions, 2014

Alison Van Pelt, The Insider, L A Times, 2013

AVP Paints, 944 Magazine, 2013

Magazine, 2013

Architectural Digest, 5 full page color reproductions, October, 2012

C Magazine, October, 2012

Creating the New Century, Contemporary Art from the Dicke Collection, The Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH, 2011

W Magazine, At Home with Brad Pitt, 2 full page color reproductions, 2011

Veranda Magazine, full page color reproduction, 2011

All American, The Paintings of Alison Van Pelt, Van Pelt Studios, 2010

USC Press, Alison Van Pelt Paints, 2010

Circle of Truth, Pharmaka Press, 2009

NY Times, T Magazine, The Insider, Alison Van Pelt, 2008

House and Garden, 2 full page color reproductions, 2007

Mariel Hemingway, Healthy Living from the Inside Out, Create Your Sacred Space, full page color reproduction, 2007

Paul Ruscha’s FULL MOON, Steidl Publishers, Göttingen, 2006

Elle Decoration, Juillet, 2006

Art Museum Preview Magazine, Cover and 3 full page color reproductions, 2006

The Eclectic Eye; Selections from the Frederick R Weisman Art Foundation, Published by the Frederick R. Weisman Philanthropic Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, copyright 2004. Full page, four color reproduction, page 177, with text page 176. 2005

Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, 26th Annual Exhibition, 2005, full color illustration page 12. 2005

Komanecky, Michael & Van Pelt, Alison. Alison Van Pelt The Women The DaytonArt Institute, Dayton, Ohio 2004

Yalkut, Jud. A Tribute to Some of the Greatest Female Artists of the 20th Century, A & C Visuals Dayton City Paper Weekly News & Culture, Cover and 4 full pages, 2004

Alison Van Pelt, Painting the Women Who Paint, Resource Magazine, 2004

Dayton Daily News, About Face, Arts and Entertainment, March 14, 2004

Contemporary Art in New York, Art Critical, David Cohen, editor. 2004

Lassell, Michael. Sand Box, Metropolitan Home, March/April 2003

Art in America, Mar, 2003

Flash Art. Vol XXXIV, 223, 2002

Reginato, James. W at Home House of Brad, W, October 2001

Sobieszek, Robert, A. Fight. Rusconi Publishing, Los Angeles, California 2000

Stunning Painting, Art Scene, January 2000

Paintings, Arts and Entertainment, January 2000

Ochi Exhibition, Wood River Journal, January 2000

The Universal Language, dART INTERNATIONAL, Winter 1999

Artist Profile, Cosmopolitan, August 1999

Wiener, Nicole. The Gadget Versus the Soul, Exhibition of the Human Form, FORM, June 1999

The Argonaut, What’s On, Collins, Linda, May 1999

Art Connoisseur, 6 full page reproductions, 1999

d’Art International, Winter, 1999

Flight and the Figure: the Paintings of Alison Van Pelt, Rusconi Publishing, Los Angeles, 1999

Scheer, Robert. Los Angeles Times, November 15, 1998

Scheer, Robert. Los Angeles Times, August 14, 1998

Campbell, Clayton. Alison Van Pelt, Ouverture, July 1998

Neusch, Walter. Geheimnisvoll, ArtHaus, June 1998

Star Artist, Los Angeles Magazine, May 1998

Pop, Catalogue, Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles 1998

Condo, Anna and Jerryl Oristaglio. Ah Allen, A Tribute to Allen Ginsberg, Grenfell Press, New York 1998

Blue Paintings, ArtCONNOISSEUR, Volume 1, Number 1 1998

Plattner, Anuschka. Ausstellung, Deutsche Word, February 1998

Man Ray in Hollywood, dART INTERNATIONAL, January 1998

Melrod, George. Femme Noir, World Art, No. 12 1997

Zappa, Moon. Earth to Moon, RAYGUN, November 1997

Ports of Entry, Exhibition Catalogue Cover, Los Angeles County Museum of Los Angeles County Museum of Art reproduction and text, pp. 154–158. 1996

Art in America, November, 1996

Joselit, David. Burroughs Virology, Art in America, November. 1996

Garnier, Philippe. Burroughs, La Liberation, August 26, 1996

Art Auction, Catalogue, Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles. 1996

Scheer, Robert. Los Angeles Times, January 10. 1996

New American Paintings, Number VI, Open Studios Press, 1996

Melrod, George. Openings, Art & Antiques, September 14, 1995

Finch, Liz. Whats on Art, The Argonaut, September 14, 1995

Scheer, Robert. Los Angeles Times, March, 1995

Marx, Heike. Das Blaue, Stop, July 1995

Madigan, Nick. Illusion or Reality? Santa Monica Outlook, August 19, 1994.

Reviews, ArtScene, October 1992

Ader Tajan, Art Contemporain, 1992