Alexandra Zizmor
Chicago-based artist Alexandra Zizmor creates contemporary portraits that explore themes of societal norms, identity, and gender. Her subjects range from family and friends to mythical heroes and villains, providing a rich and diverse narrative. Influenced by the stylistic elements of Fauvism and Pop Art, her paintings feature simplified drawing, flattened forms, bold colors, and a strong economy of line.
For Zizmor, art serves as a powerful medium for storytelling and social critique. Her portraits, characterized by decorative mask-like visages with blank gazes, challenge the societal norms that confine people to static, unchanging appearances and portray them as passive objects to be observed and judged. Her work invites viewers to reflect on the social pressures that hinder the natural ebb and flow of human experience.
Zizmor’s artistic journey into art began in her twenties, sparked by a passion for collecting. Captivated by the art world, she pursued her studies at Christie’s Education, New York, earning an M.A. in Connoisseurship of 20th Century Art. Her experiences as both an observer and student inspired her transition to mixed media drawing. Her inaugural solo exhibition unfolded at the Derfner Judaica Museum in New York, receiving acclaim from The New Yorker. After a long hiatus, she reconnected with her creativity, focusing on portraiture. In 2024, her work was showcased at the ‘Art for Life Chicago’ exhibition at Chicago’s Merchandise Mart. Most recently, two pieces from her Chasing Beauty series will be featured in an upcoming book, the design of me, by Ron Kovach, founder of DesignApplause.
