about the artist
Franceska Schifrin has developed a wide international following, which is not surprising when you consider the geography behind her work. Having painted in Morocco, Spain, Uganda, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Guatemala, Mexico, Bosnia, Croatia, France, and Cuba, the artist has ventured into realms and regions rarely visited in the visual arts.
With over 35 museum and Gallery exhibitions in the last decade (seventeen solo) franceska is, to say the least, a prolific artist. She is the recipient of the prestigious Getty Grant (awarded, appropriately, while she was on a four-month painting sojourn in central Africa), and a California Arts Council Fellowship.
Franceska discovered the power of painting internationally on a trip with her artist father to Mexico in 1979; she hasn’t stopped traveling since. From the snipered streets of Sarajevo and the political turmoil and repression of Haiti, to the dreamlike stasis of turn-of-the-century Cuba, she doesn’t just imagine her work. Her canvases are imbued with the essence of a place.
franceska’s figurative expressionist work, in the past, was often remarkable for its portrayal of the horror and indignities of war, poverty, and repression. Her current body of work represents a new phase, influenced heavily by the mysterious visions of Morocco, the gentle nuances of Cuba, and the subtler flavors of Haitian life. Several persons knowledgeable of Schifrin’s painting claim to sense the perspective of motherhood influencing her recent creations. Whatever the reasons, coupled with the work of the last decade, the artist has produced a remarkable collection, with a bold stroke and painterly understanding rare in today’s art world. She has exhibited in fine galleries and museums around the world.
