Nathlie Provosty portrait image

Nathlie Provosty

Abstract Art

January 22, 2015

Nathlie Provosty is an emerging American visual artist known for her masterfully executed abstract works that can appear aesthetically simple when viewed from a distance, but become more complex upon closer inspection despite the apparent reductivism of her monochromatic color palette. Made with exceptional artistic rigor and vision, her work hovers between illusion and abstraction, evoking elusive fluctuations of physical, spatial, and conceptual depth. Her oeuvre has been included in numerous individual and collective shows throughout the US and overseas.

Nathlie Provosty - Near Ultraviolet, 2015 (Left) / Near Ultraviolet II, 2015 (Right)
Nathlie Provosty - Near Ultraviolet, 2015 (Left) / Near Ultraviolet II, 2015 (Right)

Multiple Associations of Provosty’s Work

Using dark blues, bright whites, and occasionally high-key colors, the artist creates outstanding letter-like forms that push forward with a slight pulsation, especially depending on the quality of the light that illuminates it, while the painted field as a whole changes under different viewing conditions. Within her well-known series that uses a curved shape – initially called Doubleu by the artist (the spelling of the letter) – Provosty pairs matte and oil paint into closed forms, opening the space with their reflective surfaces and tenuously squeezed outer edges, implying multiple associations that imply numerous unfixed interpretations.

Nathlie Provosty - Consonance (Left) / Consonance II (Right)
Nathlie Provosty - Consonance (Left) / Consonance II (Right)

Academic Background, Exhibitions and Collections

Born in 1981, Nathlie Provosty earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD, in 2004 and her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Pennsylvania in 2007. The year following her BFA, Provosty lived in India on a Fulbright Fellowship in painting. Recent showings include Bischoff Projects in Frankfurt, Germany (2016); A Palazzo Gallery in Brescia, Italy (2016); and Nathalie Karg Gallery in New York (2016), among others. Provosty’s works are included in the collections of the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Colby Museum of Art, the Farnsworth Museum, and the Portland Museum of Art.

Nathlie Provosty - Council, Untitled, installation view
Nathlie Provosty - Council, Untitled (15-52) – (15-57), installation view

Artists You Need to Know

In 2013, the talented artist created an eye-catching artwork for the solo album Aheym by musician Bryce Dessner, the singer and guitarist for the alternative-rock and Americana band the National. She collaborated with the poet Robert Kelly, which resulted in a group of paintings she painted for his book The Color Mill, published by Spuyten Duyvil in 2014. Provosty’s career has definitely been on the steady rise for the past decade. She represents an extraordinary talent of great aesthetic and style, with prospects of bright career laying ahead of her.

Nathlie Provosty currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Featured image: portraits of the artist
All images © Nathlie Provosty

Download W.News app today and read everything you need to know about the art world on the go
button
Can We Help?

Have a question or a technical issue? Want to learn more about our services to art dealers? Let us know and you'll hear from us within the next 24 hours.