Susan Shup is an American artist based in Paris. She mixes personal historical elements with those of art and pop culture, like Rock music and television, to create her witty and vibrant paintings and drawings. Shup’s art has been featured in numerous international publications and has been included in many prestigious private and corporate collections. “My work is a kind of ‘painting out loud’. I’ve always written and kept drawing journals and I use this content as iconography. Music, especially Rock, is an important part of my life in the studio, and I like to not only record sound as spoken-word poetry but also to transcribe it directly with paint onto canvas, usually directly from the tube. I use language in my painting in a dada-like “out of context” way, where the words are often treated abstractly rather than as a narrative; it’s about the sound: DA…DA. But I like telling stories in some of the paintings, and they’re usually stories about artists, or words referencing particular events. The pop content of some of my work allows me the balance needed to work every day, to render as user-friendly what is essentially serious: painting.”
- Charmed
- Nope
- Dressed up
- Escape
- Faux calm
- Femme
- Merci mercy
- Pingpong
- Zoom
- After the storm
- Celebrate
- You are honest
- Social painting
- Society
- Trees
2023 I collect language, Galerie Louis Gendre, Chamalières Presentation, Catalogue
2020 Group show, Espace Dupuis, Galerie Louis Gendre, Paris Catalogue
2019 Group show, Galerie Pixi, Paris
2018 “Suite Sweet”, Galerie Louis Gendre, Salon Zürcher, New York. Press release
“Why not”, Galerie Louis Gendre. Press release Catalogue
“SHUP SHOUT OUT”,VOLTA NY, Galerie Louis Gendre, New York. Press release
“Le jardin du paradox – regards sur le cirque divers à Liège”, Musée de la Vie Wallonne, Liège, Belgium
“The idiosyncratic pencil” Elizabeth Stone Harper Gallery, Harper Center for the Arts, Presbyterian College, SC
2016 FROM FREEFORM TO CONTROLLED AND BACK, Galerie Louis Gendre
2015 “ON SITE IN 16 CITIES”, a group exhibition curated by the Berlin Collective, Cheri, Harlem, New York.
2015 “Une Galérie, un regard – Part III”, Galerie Pixi, Paris.
2014 ‘SHUP-UP’ (I love Paris in the springtime)” Galerie Louis Gendre, Paris.
2013 ‘VINTAGE’, Group Show, Michael Woolworth, Paris; ‘REMADE’; G Design, Cape Cod.
2012 ‘Decorex London’, Susan Shup paintings at Rabih Hage; Group Show Rabih Hage, London.
2011 ‘Back in Belgium Baby’, paintings and videos by Susan Shup, Libraire Saint Hubert, Bruxelles, Belgium; ‘Ten Years of Collecting’, Rabih Hage Gallery, London; Cimaise Jacques Lizène, Passage de Retz, Paris; ACRIA, Miami Basel.
2010 ‘Dialogue d’Artistes Blanc sur Fond Blanc’, Galerie Pixi Marie Victoire Poliakoff, Paris; ‘Mode de Vie+Légèrté’, Galerie Celal, Paris.
2009 ‘Painting Out Loud’, New Work by Susan Shup, Rabih Hage, London; ‘Living with Collectible Design’, Rabih Hage, London; Muhka, Anvers, Le(s) moi(s) de Lizène.
2008 SLICK art fair, Miss China Beauty; FIAC, Paris; cimaise Jacques Lizène, Galerie Nadia Vilène; videos: LIVING WITH ART, cimaise Jacques Lizène, Traces du Sacré, Centre Georges Pompidou; Slick Dessin, Paris.
2007 Miss China Beauty, Select 01 – Format A4 in Progress; Miss China Beauty, Select 02 – La mise à poil; Slick art fair; Galerie Pixi, Paris.
2006 ‘Filles et Garçons ‘, Ventilo Galerie, Paris.
2005 ‘Les Sirènes’, Judy Ann Goldman Fine Art Gallery, Boston, Mass.; ‘Two Americans in London’, Rabih Hage, London; “Land Art” video by Susan Shup, Woodshole Film Festival.
2004 Group Show, Rabih Hage, London.
2003 ‘2 Femmes: Peintures et Objets Dérivés’, La Périphérie, Malakoff; ‘You are Great’, Black Block, Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Le Bon Marché, Paris, Boutique Noel.
2002 ‘Dressing Room with Video Sales Artist/Artist Women’, ‘Parcours Saint Germain des Près; ‘Je vois ce que c’est’, Fontenay Sous Bois; House and Garden Fair, London, Rabih Hage, London.
2001 ‘Love Me/Love Me’, La Périphérie, Malakoff; ‘Cimaise Lizène’, Art Concept, Paris.
2000 ‘Artist Girl(s), paintings and drawings by Susan Shup’, La Périphérie, Malakoff; ‘L’Euro-Fête, World Wild Flags’, Ville de Liège; ‘Camping 2000’, Le Lineaire, Romans; ‘Mode d’Emploi’, La Périphérie, Malakoff.
1999 Le Cirque Divers, Liège, Belgique.
1998 ‘Kind of Blue’, Judy Ann Goldman Gallery, Boston; ‘États de Rire’, Centre D’Art Contemporain de Rueil-Malmaison; ‘Ephémeres I, Videos D’Artistes’, Espace Renaudie, Aubervilliers.
1997 ‘You Are Great et Stupid Jerk’, Colette, Paris.
1996 ‘Summer Idylls’, Judy Ann Goldman Gallery, Boston.
1995 ‘Retrospective des Artistes du Cirque Divers’, Musée D’Art Moderne de Liège, Belgique; ‘Susan Shup Solo’, Arto, Aubervilliers.
1994 ‘You Are Great!’, Bernard Toale Gallery, Boston; ‘Castelroussine’, Galerie du Collège Marcel Duchamp, Chateauroux; ‘Chaises = Sculptures’, Galerie 15 Paris; ‘EST’, Astycom, Paris.
1993 ‘Tels Qu’elles’, Centre Wallon de L’Art Contemporain, La Chataigneraie, Belgique; ‘Susan Shup’, Galerie Pixi, Paris.
1989 Susan Shup, Galerie Le Cirque Divers, Liège, Belgium
1988 Susan Shup, Galerie Lavrov
1984 Susan Shup, Galerie Lavrov
COLLECTIONS
Susan Shup’s work is included in a number of notable Private and Corporate Collections including:
Fidelity Investments
MacAndrews & Forbes
Vivendi Universal
Gerhard Nikles Collection, Basel
DQN Global Capital Partners LLP