Artists’ Studios Recreated as Miniature Sculptures

The inside of an art museum is often clean and uncluttered, with velvet ropes and sterile white walls surrounding the pieces that are showcased. That’s a stark contrast to many artists’ studios, where the art that’s being created makes its mark throughout the room in the form of paint, papers and supplies. 

Joe Fig is a painter and sculptor based in New York City, and his work includes miniature sculptures that depict the personal studios of some of today’s leading contemporary artists. Some work spaces are meticulously organized while others are scattered with brushes and mottled with paint. Fig has replicated the studios down to their smallest details, like a discarded rag or a Planters Peanuts can. Even if you're not familiar with these artists’ work, you can still get a sense of their process from Fig’s scaled-down snapshots.

Ross Bleckner: 3/22/07

Chuck Close: 4/25/06

Inka Essenhigh: 8/31/06

Barnaby Furnas: 1/3/06

Jane Hammond: 10/3/06

Mary Heilmann: 4/19/07

Ryan McGinness: 3/23/06

Melissa Meyer: 7/24/06

Julie Mehretu

Alexis Rockman: 1/3/06

Amy Sillman: 1/6/06

Dana Shutz: 10/7/03

Bill Sullivan: 4/3/07

A new collection of sculptures, paintings and drawings representing the studios of contemporary artists is on display until October 24 at the Cristin Tierney Gallery in New York as park of Fig's Inside the Artist’s Studio exhibit. It coincides with the release of his book of the same name, which includes interviews with the sculptors, painters, photographers, and video and mixed-media artists whose studios he visited. His book comes out October 6, and you can preorder it on Amazon today.

All Images Courtesy joefig.com

[h/t: Cristin Tierney]