Alexis Portilla

This is a beautiful oil painting by Alexis Portilla. Color, lines and shapes that resemble pictographs and vessels convey symbolism. Influenced by the emotion of artistic expression...

This is a large monochromatic oil painting on canvas by Alexis Portilla. Color, lines and shapes that resemble pictographs and vessels convey symbolism. Vessels are a recurring theme in Portilla's work as symbolic of the potential for the ability to hold and receive. Influenced by the emotion of artistic expression in music, poetry and literature, the artist finds bold expression in color, lines and shapes that resemble pictographs, and texture. For Helen 48x60" Oil on Canvas Signed on verso Alexis Portilla was born in Mexico City in 1965, and has lived in New York since 1970. He holds an MFA from Columbia University and a BFA from Pratt Institute. His work can be found in public and corporate collections throughout the United States and abroad, including The New York Public Library, Penn State University, Harvard University, Warner Brothers Music Group, Pepsi Co., PricewaterhouseCoopers, Norwest Venture Partners, and Mikasa Corporation. In addition, his work is in hundreds of private collections in the United States, England, France, and Germany. For more than 20 years, Portilla’s work has been regularly exhibited at prominent venues throughout the United States. His work has been the subject of 10 solo exhibitions at established galleries in New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, and Hong Kong. His work has been exhibited in museum group exhibitions at the Grand Rapids Art Museum in Michigan, Hofstra University Museum in New York, and Monmouth Museum in New Jersey, as well as numerous gallery group exhibitions in New York, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, and Philadelphia. Portilla’s work has received international press attention and has been reviewed in several publications, including Artnews. He has been a faculty instructor at Columbia University, where he taught printmaking to graduate and postgraduate students. “New York painter Alexis Portilla[’s] layered compositions deserve serious attention.” –Art Market Report, Summer 2017 “[Portilla] both builds and excavates his canvases with broad swaths of paint, textured imprints, and scrapes and scratches, layering lines over drifting expanses of rich color [...] recalling Basquiat and Twombly-lyrical paintings that hover between pure abstraction and the evocation of unknown atmospheric spaces.” –Karen Sundberg, Artsy, December 2014 “Using simple forms and creating swathes of rich texture, Alexis Portilla builds atmospheric abstract paintings that convey a sense of time having passed. Brushy areas of color suggest the indeterminacy of memory, while bold linear forms speak for the present.” Meredith Mendelsohn, Art News magazine review, Feb 2008 Alexis’s work is in public and private collections in the US and internationally. Education MFA, Columbia University (1990) BFA, Pratt Institute PUBLIC COLLECTIONS (select): Bryant University, Smithfield, RI Harvard University, Cambridge, MA The New York Public Library, New York, NY Penn State University, State College, PA (commissioned work) SELECTED PRIVATE AND CORPORATE COLLECTIONS Collection of Padma Lakshmi Mikasa Corporation, Tokyo, Japan Pepsi Co., Purchase, NY PricewaterhouseCoopers, Boston (commissioned work) Norwest Venture Partners, Palo Alto, CA Warner Brothers, New York, NY First Atlantic Capital, New York, NY Excel, Bermuda Edwards and Angell, Providence, RI Meredith and Grew, Boston, MA Farley White, Boston, MA Acadian Asset Management, Boston, MA Proskauer Rose, Boston, MA New Star Financial, Boston, MA Cross Harbor Capital, Boston, MA Weil Gotshal & Manges, Providence, RI Partner Reinsurance, Pembroke, Bermuda Hale & Dorr, Washington, DC Bingham Dana & Gould, Boston, MA Total System Services, Columbus, OH Biogen Inc., Cambridge, MA Millennia, Boston, MA Renaissance Worldwide, Waltham, MA Goodwin Proctor & Hoar, Boston, MA and New York, NY X.L. Pembroke, Bermuda Odyssey America RE, New York, NY Greystone Realty Corp., Westport, CT Limerock Partners, Westport, CT Michael Page...

This is a beautiful oil painting by Alexis Portilla, using a palette of jewel colors, bold brushwork and pictographs to create an atmospheric piece. Color, lines and shapes that resemble pictographs and vessels convey symbolism. Vessels are a recurring theme in Portilla's work as symbolic of the potential for the ability to hold and receive. Influenced by the emotion of artistic expression in music, poetry and literature, the artist finds bold expression in color, lines and shapes that resemble pictographs, and texture. Oregon 47 x 65 in. Oil on Canvas Signed on verso Ready to hang: Yes Frame: Not applicable Materials: Oil paint, canvas, wood stretchers Alexis Portilla holds an MFA from Columbia University (1990) and a BFA from Pratt Institute. His work is in more than 250 private collections worldwide and in many international public and corporate collections including The New York Public Library, Harvard University, Pepsi Co., Warner Music Group, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Penn State University, Norwest Venture Partners, and Mikasa Corporation. He has exhibited internationally at venues from New York to Hong Kong, including the Grand Rapids Art Museum in Michigan, Hofstra University Museum in New York, and Monmouth Museum in New Jersey. Alexis Portilla's large scale pieces like Anemone, Black Elk, Thor Twins, Tokyo, Chromatic Fantasy are spectacular pieces in terms of the atmospheric brushwork, colors and textures. His bold linear lines, use of symbols, pictographs and strong colors create atmospheric abstracts. “Alexis is a poet in space and a painter of original feeling… He conveys a constant sense of expansion.” Artist Will Barnet (1911-2012), June 2007 “Using simple forms and creating swathes of rich texture, Alexis Portilla builds atmospheric abstract paintings that convey a sense of time having passed. Brushy areas of color suggest the indeterminacy of memory, while bold linear forms speak for the present." - Meredith Mendelsohn, Art News magazine review The artist Alexis Portilla obtained his Masters of Fine Arts at Columbia University in 1990, and his BFA at the noted Pratt Institute. The artist has shown in group and solo exhibitions. His works have been commissioned by major corporations, universities and for private collections. These pieces and others are available for viewing in Los Angeles. Instruction 1993-1994 Faculty /Adjunct Instructor Department of Printmaking Columbia University New York, NY Awards 1983 – 1994 HEOP/SEOG Full scholarship To attend Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY 1984-85 Charles A. Dana Internship and Grant, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY Public Commissions: - April 2007 Penn State University -State College, PA Department of Chemistry Public Collections: - 1996 The New York Public Library, New York, NY Department of Prints and Drawings Roberta Waddell Selected Corporate Collections Harvard Club Cambridge, MA Meredith and Grew Boston, MA Farley White Boston, MA Edwards and Angell Providence, RI Acadian Asset Management Boston, MA Proskauer Rose Boston, MA Mikasa Corporation, Tokyo, Japan First Atlantic Capital, New York, NY Warner Brothers, New York, NY —- SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS Bryant University, Smithfield, RI Harvard University, Cambridge, MA The New York Public Library, New York, NY Penn State University, State College, PA (commissioned work) SELECTED PRIVATE AND CORPORATE COLLECTIONS Collection of Padma Lakshmi Mikasa Corporation, Tokyo, Japan Pepsi Co., Purchase, NY PricewaterhouseCoopers, Boston (commissioned work) Norwest Venture Partners, Palo Alto, CA Warner Brothers, New York, NY First Atlantic Capital, New York, NY Excel, Bermuda Edwards and Angell, Providence, RI Meredith and Grew, Boston, MA Farley White, Boston, MA Acadian Asset Management, Boston, MA Proskauer Rose, Boston, MA New Star Financial, Boston, MA Cross Harbor Capital, Boston, MA Weil Gotshal & Manges, Providence, RI Partner Reinsurance, Pembroke, Bermuda Hale & Dorr, Washington, DC Bingham Dana & Gould, Boston, MA Total System Services, Columbus, OH Biogen Inc., Cambridge, MA Millennia, Boston, MA Renaissance Worldwide, Waltham, MA Goodwin Proctor & Hoar, Boston, MA and New York, NY X.L. Pembroke, Bermuda Odyssey America RE, New York, NY Greystone Realty Corp., Westport, CT Limerock Partners, Westport, CT Michael Page...

This is a beautifully nuanced, and deeply soulful abstract contemporary oil painting on linen, that speaks volumes with its quietly furious brushstrokes multi-layered in monochromati...

Black Elk Oil on Canvas 94 x 74" / 7 ft 10" x 6 ft 2" Signed at the back (Some of these images show his other large scale work in collections around the country) This is one of his...

This is a beautiful piece by Alexis Portilla. The rich inky grey, black and white colors of this piece contrasts against the symbolism of vessels and pictographs. Vessels are a recur...

This is an archival pigment print in a limited edition of 25, with signature and edition of artist on lower corner. The original etching upon which this print is based is available upon request. Printed 2021. 59" (H) - Limited edition of 10. 40" (H) - Limited edition of 25. Other sizes are not part of limited edition, and inquires are welcome. Alexis Portilla's large scale pieces like Anemone, Black Elk, Thor Twins, Tokyo, Chromatic Fantasy are spectacular pieces in terms of the atmospheric brushwork, colors and textures. His bold linear lines, use of symbols, pictographs and strong colors create atmospheric abstracts. Influenced by the emotion of artistic expression in music, poetry and literature, the artist finds bold expression in color, lines and shapes that resemble pictographs, and texture. Speak like a Child is a song title from a Herbie Hancock...

This is a beautifully nuanced, and deeply soulful abstract contemporary oil painting on linen, that speaks volumes with its quietly furious brushstrokes multi-layered in monochromati...