Loie Hollowell Art for Sale: Prints & Originals

Loie Hollowell was born in 1983 in Woodland, California. She is an American artist who has made significant contributions to contemporary abstract art, and her journey into the world of art began early, influenced by her parents, both of whom were artists. This early exposure profoundly shaped her aesthetic and conceptual approaches. Hollowell's education played a critical role in her artistic development: she earned a BFA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and later, an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Throughout her career, Hollowell's work has been showcased in numerous exhibitions, both solo and group, across the United States and internationally. Her rise in the art world has been marked by critical acclaim and recognition from art institutions and collectors alike.

Hollowell's work is renowned for its unique blend of geometric abstraction and biomorphic forms. Her paintings often evoke elements of the female body, landscapes and cosmic imagery, merging these themes with a distinct, vibrant colour palette. This synthesis results in pieces that are visually striking and deeply introspective, exploring themes of sexuality, fertility and spirituality. Her style is characterised by a central focal point that radiates outward, creating a sense of depth and dimension on the canvas. This method has become a hallmark of her work, distinguishing her within the realm of contemporary abstraction.

Now living in New York City, Hollowell is in a meteoric rise within the art world. She has been featured in the New York Times, who drew comparisons between her work and that of American masters such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Judy Chicago and Arthur Dove. She cannot be accused, however, of simply revisiting their techniques; instead she creates a visual lexicon that is entirely her own, prominently featuring classical motifs such as the mandorla to reimagine the female form in art. A notable aspect of Hollowell's work is her use of sculpted forms on her canvases. This technique challenges traditional perceptions of painting, blurring the lines between two-dimensional and three-dimensional art. These forms are integrated seamlessly into her canvases, engaging the viewer in a dynamic interaction with the artwork: as one navigates around the painting, the viewer is compelled to discern whether what they see is a flat illusion or a three-dimensional reality. This interplay adds a playful, performative element to Hollowell's art, showcasing her skill in manipulating space, surface, light, and shadow.

Represented by Pace Gallery, she has been included in prominent public and private collections, underlining her status as a significant emerging figure in contemporary art. Her work has been sold at Christie’s – where it sold for double its estimate in July 2023 – and staged at Victoria Miro. Hollowell’s art has been hugely successful, especially in large international markets such as Hong Kong, where one of her paintings sold for $2.1 million in 2021.

Hollowell's contribution to the art world goes beyond her distinct visual style; her work often sparks conversations about femininity, the human experience, and the intersection between the physical and the metaphysical. In 2022, she made waves by creating NFTs in support of women’s reproductive rights in the United States. By exploring these themes through her unique lens, she offers a fresh perspective on abstract art, making her an influential and inspiring figure for both her contemporaries and aspiring artists.

Loie Hollowell's art is distinguished by its exploration of the physical landscape, blending abstraction and figuration: she herself has described her work as “abstraction of the body.” Her art is deeply personal, drawing from her own experiences to address themes of femininity, sexuality, pregnancy, and birth. Hollowell's unique visual language is crafted through the use of symbolic shapes like the mandorla, ogee, and lingam. These geometric compositions, imbued with a profound symmetry, reflect her personal experiences while creating universal resonance through their intimate vulnerability. Her work not only represents the physical form but also transforms it into an immersive experience, encouraging viewers to engage with the artwork from multiple perspectives. Hollowell's art, thus, becomes a medium of exploration and reflection on the human form and its representation.
Hollowell is also committed to reflecting her own physicality in her art, which becomes evident when considering the scale of her works – these directly correlate with the size of the body part depicted, whether it be the head, breasts, groyne, or her entire body. This meticulous approach highlights the connection between her art and her own body, a physical manifestation of the artist with the natural world.
As an artist who primarily focuses on the abstraction of the female form as a subject, Hollowell has also acted as an activist for feminist causes. In 2022, despite being self-admittedly “somewhat sceptical of NFTs”, Hollowell was approached to create a series of works in support of initiatives that enforce women’s reproductive rights in the United States. Titled Contractions, the series was based on the artist’s own experience with giving birth to her daughter, and donated 25% of profits to two charities based in areas that would become the most disadvantaged following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. These were Midwest Access Coalition, a practical abortion fund based in the region, and ARC-Southeast, which provides funding and logistical support to individuals seeking reproductive care of all types in six southern states. The artist has been open about having an abortion herself at the age of 28, and says “the whole direction of my work in the past six years all comes out of the fact that I’ve had an abortion.” She has openly discussed many taboos about parenthood in the art world, including that she “waited until [she] had a secure gallery to have children”, felt pressured to create within a month of giving birth and the fact that her husband acts as primary caregiver. In using her achievements to further the liberation of other women from patriarchal expectations, Hollowell’s contribution to womanhood extends beyond the canvas and into the real world.