# Joe Fig > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Joe_Fig > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Joe_Fig.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Fig > Source revision: 1343458368 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|American artist and author|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{infobox writer |name=Joe Fig |birth_date={{birth date and age|1968|1|21}} |birth_place=[Seaford, New York](/source/Seaford%2C_New_York), U.S. |occupation={{flatlist| *Artist *author }} |education=[School of Visual Arts](/source/School_of_Visual_Arts) ([BFA](/source/Bachelor_of_Fine_Arts), [MFA](/source/Master_of_Fine_Arts)) |website={{url|https://www.joefig.com}} }} '''Joe Fig''' (born January 21, 1968, in Seaford, NY) is an American artist and author best known for his paintings, sculptures, drawings and photographs that explore the creative process, the working lives of artists, and the spaces where art is made. His work draws from Western art history, the mythology of art, and visual culture. == Career == Joe Fig was born in 1968 in Seaford, New York, and received both his BFA and MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York.{{Cite web|url=http://www.onu.edu/node/44901|title=Ohio Northern alumna selected for the 94th Toledo Area Artists Exhibition at the Toledo Museum of Art|date=2012-11-19|access-date=2016-08-19}} His early work includes reproductions of the studios of legendary modern artists, such as [Jackson Pollock](/source/Jackson_Pollock), [Jasper Johns](/source/Jasper_Johns), and [Willem de Kooning](/source/Willem_de_Kooning).{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/08artsli.html|title=Artists at Work (Very Tiny Ones)|last=Genocchio|first=Benjamin|date=2007-07-08|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2016-07-15}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/05/miniature-artist-studio_n_4164394.html|title=Artist Crafts Teeny Tiny Models Of Famous Artists' Studios|date=2013-11-05|website=The Huffington Post|access-date=2016-07-15}} He also previously produced a group of paintings that focus on the art historical moment when the young pioneers of modernism—like [Édouard Manet](/source/%C3%89douard_Manet)—overtook the old guard of painting.{{Cite web|url=http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/reviews/joe-fig/|title=Joe Fig - Reviews - Art in America|website=www.artinamericamagazine.com|access-date=2016-07-15}} In 2005, Fig turned his attention to the work spaces and lives of contemporary artists.{{Cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html|title=ART; More Room To Grow Creatively|last=Genocchio|first=Benjamin|date=2005-05-22|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2016-08-19}} In his most recent work, he begins by conducting an interview with an artist in his or her studio.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/17/arts/design/otherworldly-at-museum-of-arts-and-design-review.html|title='Otherworldly' at Museum of Arts and Design - Review|last=Rosenberg|first=Karen|date=2011-06-16|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2016-07-15}} Fig asks them a series of questions about their daily routines and the history of their practice,{{Cite web|url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/joe-fig-book-studio-visits-319434|title=Joe Fig's Book Reveals Artists' Studios—artnet News|date=2015-09-01|language=en-US|access-date=2016-08-19}} before photographing and recording their studio and its contents.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/2014/03/artist-studio-miniatures/|title=Meticulous Miniature Replicas Reveal the Fanatical Side of Art|language=en-US|access-date=2016-08-19}} He then creates a meticulous replicate of that artist's studio, in sculpture, painting, and/or drawing.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/06/arts/design/06fig.html|title=The Studio in Miniature - Art - Review|last=Goodbody|first=Bridget L.|date=2007-07-06|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2016-08-19}} The artworks both champion the creative process and reveal the mundane tasks involved in making art. Each portrait documents how an artist has organized his or her space, as well as the tools and inspirations he or she keeps at hand. The works contain such details as spectacles resting on a desk, books stacked on shelves, or paint drips on a floor.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/17/arts/design/otherworldly-at-museum-of-arts-and-design-review.html|title='Otherworldly' at Museum of Arts and Design - Review|last=Rosenberg|first=Karen|date=2011-06-16|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2016-07-15}}{{Cite web|url=http://beautifuldecay.com/2013/03/06/joe-figs-incredible-miniature-sculptures-of-artists-in-their-studios/|title=Joe Fig's Incredible Miniature Sculptures Of Artists In Their Studios|last=Crest|first=Russ|date=2013-03-06|website=Beautiful/Decay|access-date=2016-08-19}} By presenting this "god's-eye view" of artists in their studios, Fig not only demystifies the creative act, but also illuminates the contrast between spaces where art is made and spaces where art is shown.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wired.com/2014/03/artist-studio-miniatures/|title=Meticulous Miniature Replicas Reveal the Fanatical Side of Art|language=en-US|access-date=2016-08-19}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/nyregion/review-of-inside-the-artists-studios-in-greenwich.html|title=Review of 'Inside the Artists' Studios' in Greenwich|last=Gold|first=Sylviane|date=2014-02-20|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2016-08-19}} Fig is represented by Cristin Tierney Gallery in New York. == Writing == Fig is the author of the books ''Inside the Painter's Studio'' and ''Inside the Artist's Studio,'' published by Princeton Architectural Press in 2009 and 2015, respectively.{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Joe-Fig/e/B002890HLI/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1|title=Amazon.com: Joe Fig: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle|website=www.amazon.com|access-date=2016-07-29}} In complement to his artistic practice, both books document Fig's conversations with the artists he has interviewed, and include photographs of their studios.{{Cite web|url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/joe-fig-book-studio-visits-319434|title=Joe Fig's Book Reveals Artists' Studios—artnet News|date=2015-09-01|language=en-US|access-date=2016-08-19}} His sculptures and paintings of the interviewees' studios are also illustrated. Fig's second book, ''Inside the Artist's Studio'', provides insights into the lives and studios of several select contemporary artists, including [Leonardo Drew](/source/Leonardo_Drew), [Kate Gilmore](/source/Kate_Gilmore_(artist)), [Roxy Paine](/source/Roxy_Paine), [Will Ryman](/source/Will_Ryman), and [Laurie Simmons](/source/Laurie_Simmons).{{Cite web|url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/joe-fig-book-studio-visits-319434|title=Joe Fig's Book Reveals Artists' Studios—artnet News|date=2015-09-01|language=en-US|access-date=2016-08-19}} Fig also contributed to the book ''Narcissus in the Studio,'' which was published by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2010. ==Publications== * Fig, Joe. ''Inside the Artist’s Studio''. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 2015. * Manco, Tristan. ''Big Art / Small Art''. London: Thames & Hudson, 2014. * Cozzolino, Robert. ''Narcissus in the Studio: Artist Portraits and Self-Portraits''. Philadelphia, PA: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 2010. * Fig, Joe. ''Inside the Painter’s Studio''. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 2009. ==Public Collections== * Altoids Curiously Strong Collection * [The Bruce Museum of Arts and Science](/source/Bruce_Museum_of_Arts_and_Science), Greenwich, CT * [Chazen Museum of Art](/source/Chazen_Museum_of_Art), Madison, WI * [Fogg Art Museum](/source/Fogg_Art_Museum), Harvard University, Cambridge, MA * [Hood Museum of Art](/source/Hood_Museum_of_Art), Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH * [Library of Congress](/source/Library_of_Congress), Washington, DC * [New Britain Museum of American Art](/source/New_Britain_Museum_of_American_Art), CT * [New York Public Library](/source/New_York_Public_Library), NY * [Norton Museum of Art](/source/Norton_Museum_of_Art), West Palm Beach, FL * [Parrish Art Museum](/source/Parrish_Art_Museum), Southampton, NY * [Toledo Museum of Art](/source/Toledo_Museum_of_Art), OH == Further reading == * [https://whitehotmagazine.com/articles/joe-fig-at-cristin-tierney/4723 Goodman, Jonathan. "Joe Fig at Cristin Tierney." ''Whitehot Magazine.'' September 28, 2020.] * [https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/art/joe-fig Fateman, Johanna. "Joe Fig." ''The New Yorker.'' September 15, 2020.] * [https://news.artnet.com/art-world/joe-fig-book-studio-visits-319434 Boucher, Brian. "What We Learned About Famous Artists from Joe Fig’s New Studio Visits Book." ''Artnet News.'' September 1, 2015.] * [http://www.artnews.com/2014/06/16/joe-fig-miniature-version-of-famous-artists-studios/ Landi, Ann. "Artists' Studios: The Dollhouse Version." ''ARTnews.'' June 2014.] * [http://ministryofartisticaffairs.com/blog/interview-joe-fig/ "Interview: Joe Fig." ''The Ministry of Artistic Affairs.'' October 13, 2012.] * [http://www.themorningnews.org/gallery/the-artist-perseveres Samadzadeh, Nozlee. "The Artist Perseveres." ''The Morning News''. October 8, 2012.] * [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/nyregion/parrish-museum-displays-american-portraits-review.html Schwendener, Martha. "Faces Telling American Stories." ''The New York Times.'' November 4, 2011.] * [https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/19/arts/movies/the-listings-may-19-may-25-joe-fig.html Johnson, Ken. "Joe Fig." ''The New York Times.'' May 19, 2006.] * [https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/07/arts/art-in-review-joe-fig.html Cotter, Holland. "Art in Review; Joe Fig." ''The New York Times.'' November 7, 2003.] == References == {{Reflist}} == External links == * {{Official Website|http://www.joefig.com}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Fig, Joe}} Category:1968 births Category:Artists from New York (state) Category:People from Seaford, New York Category:21st-century American writers Category:Living people --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Joe Fig](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Fig) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Fig?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.