Deborah Kass

Artist Deborah Kass finds inspiration in artists like Andy Warhol, Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella, Ed Ruscha, Bruce Nauman and Louise Bourgeois from whom she borrows words and deliberately appropriates styles. Her current body of work, Feel Good Paintings for Feel Bad Times, illustrates lyrics from Broadway show tunes, pop music, and classic American songs. These paintings convey positive messages in celebration of the middle class and American culture. Kass chose Broadway as a reference point because she finds it definitively American, optimistic, and personal.

One of her most famous series, the Warhol Project from 1992—2000, employs Warhol's style to celebrate Kass's personal heroes, including singer Barbra Streisand and artists Cindy Sherman and Elizabeth Murray.

Click here to read our interview with Deborah Kass about Warhol, painting, and trading art with Chuck Close.