Painter Sam McKinniss sources his works from images of recent pop cultural phenomena he finds using Google Image Search, such as the much celebrated and widely discussed portrait of Prince, painted and exhibited in New York immediately following the beloved pop star's unti-mely death. He is inspired by themes or narratives focu-sing on romance or tragedy, beauty, perversion, innocence and its destruction. Most often his paintings are portraits of celebrities such as movie stars and musicians, while at other times he finds landscapes or animals as suitable subject matter. Discussing his studio practice in a recent interview, McKinniss was quoted, “[I'm] trying to tell some kind of almost cinematic story, and trying to cast it with characters who suit whatever mood I’m in.” Sam McKinniss (b. 1985, Northfield, Minnesota) earned a MFA at New York University. Recent solo exhi-bitions were held in Los Angeles and New York. His work is currently on view in a major group exhibition, ‘The Lure of the Dark: Contemporary Painters Conjure The Night’, curated by Susan Cross at MASS MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts. He lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
Sam McKinniss
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Sam McKinniss, Lil Nas X with Friends and Cops, 2021
Oil on linen
182.9 x 121.9 x 3.2 cm
72 x 48 x 1 1/4 in -
Sam McKinniss, Shania Twain’s Horse 2, 2021
Oil on linen
213.4 x 182.9 cm
84 x 72 in -
Sam McKinniss, Elvira, 2021
Oil on linen
112 x 213.5 cm
44 x 84 in -
Sam McKinniss, Dolly Parton, 2021
Oil on linen
127 x 122 cm
50 x 48 in -
Sam McKinniss, Nashville, 2021
Oil and acrylic on linen
28 x 35.5 cm
11 x 14 in -
Sam McKinniss, Lake McDonald, 2021
Oil and acrylic on linen
244 x 213.5 cm
96 x 84 in -
Sam McKinniss, Grand Canyon, 2021
Oil on linen
58.4 x 137.2 x 2.5 cm
23 x 54 x 1 in -
Sam McKinniss, Willie Nelson, 2021
Oil on linen
40.6 x 30.5 cm
16 x 12 in -
Sam McKinniss, Merry Christmas, Mariah Carey, 2021
Oil on linen
25.4 x 20.3 cm
10 x 8 in -
Sam McKinniss, Lyle Lovett, 2021
Oil on linen
35.6 x 27.9 cm
14 x 11 in -
Sam McKinniss, White Roses (after Fantin-Latour), 2018
Oil over acrylic on canvas
50,8 x 40,6 x 2,5 cm
20 x 16 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, Madonna, 2018
Oil over acrylic on canvas
40,6 x 30,5 x 2,5 cm
16 x 12 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, Michael, 2018
Oil over acrylic on canvas
25,4 x 20,3 x 2,5 cm
10 x 8 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, Ranch Life, 2018
30 colored pencil drawings on paper
30,5 x 22,9 (each) cm
12 x 9 inches -
Sam McKinniss, Aretha, 2018
Oil over acrylic on canvas
22,9 x 30,5 x 2,5 cm
9 x 12 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, Diana (on Jonikal), 2018
Oil over acrylic on canvas
27,9 x 35,6 x 2,5 cm
11 x 14 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, Clownfish, 2018
Oil over acrylic on canvas
27,9 x 35,6 x 2,5 cm
11 x 14 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, The Little Mermaid, 2018
Oil over acrylic on canvas
45,7 x 35,6 x 2,5 cm
18 x 14 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, Still Life with Primroses, Pears and Promenates (after Fantin-Latour), 2018
Oil over acrylic on canvas
76,2 x 61 x 2,5 cm
30 x 24 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, Tyra, 2015-2018
Oil on canvas
142,2 x 91,4 x 2,5 cm
56 x 36 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, The Terminator, 2018
Oil over acrylic on canvas
182,9 x 152,4 x 2,5 cm
72 x 60 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, Clownfish II, 2018
Oil over acrylic on canvas
27,9 x 35,6 x 2,5 cm
11 x 14 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, Diana, 2018
Oil over acrylic on canvas
243,8 x 182,9 x 2,5 cm
96 x 72 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, Jennifer, 2018
Oil over acrylic on canvas
213,4 x 152,4 x 2,5 cm
84 x 60 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, Marilyn, 2018
Oil over acrylic on canvas
91,4 x 76,2 x 2,5 cm
36 x 30 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, Alice, 2018
Oil over acrylic on canvas
40,6 x 30,5 x 2,5 cm
16 x 12 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, Fairy Roses (after Fantin-Latour), 2018
Oil over acrylic on canvas
50,8 x 40,6 x 2,5 cm
20 x 16 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, White Cup and Saucer (after Fantin-Latour), 2018
Oil over acrylic on canvas
22,9 x 30,5 x 2,5 cm
9 x 12 x 1 inches -
Sam McKinniss, Tammy Wynette, 2021
Oil on linen
76.2 x 61 cm
30 x 24 in -
Sam McKinniss, Dolly Parton with kitten, 2021
Oil on linen
61 x 45.7 cm
24 x 18 in -
Sam McKinniss, Shania Twain's Horse 1, 2021
Oil on linen
35.6 x 45.7 cm
14 x 18 in
Exhibitions
Selected press
- 'How Many People Does it Take to Make Art Work?', Nate Freeman in GARAGE, April 26, 2020 — 13.7 MB
- 'CLAIM TO FAME' by Gary Indiana, ARTFORUM, September 2019 — 3.1 MB
- 'FAMOUS FEELINGS WITH PAINTER SAM MCKINNISS', Thora Siemsen, SSENSE, February 2019 — 3.0 MB
- 'Sam McKinniss, Neverland, Almine Rech Gallery, Brussel', KNACK, January 2019 — 84.5 kB