Katherine Bradford

Katherine Bradford (b. 1942) is a titan of contemporary figurative painting, renowned for works that balance raw, painterly intuition with a masterful command of light. Based in Brooklyn and Maine, Bradford has spent decades refining a visual language that elevates the "clumsy grace" of the human form into the realm of the mythological.

Bradford’s works are characterized by their radiant, back-lit quality. Eschewing preliminary sketches, she allows her signature motifs—swimmers, superheroes, and nocturnal voyagers—to emerge organically from deep, translucent layers of acrylic. This "inside-out" process results in an atmospheric glow that recalls the color fields of Mark Rothko, yet remains firmly anchored in universal human narratives of connection, vulnerability, and collective experience.

Bradford’s career has seen a meteoric rise, solidified by the 2022–2024 touring retrospective Flying Woman, which garnered critical acclaim at the Portland Museum of Art and the Frye Art Museum. Her secondary market performance is equally robust; in 2025 and early 2026, her works consistently commanded high demand at major auction houses, reflecting her status as a high-value investment for serious collectors.

Permanent Public Collections Include:

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York

• The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

• Musée d'Art Moderne, Paris

• The Baltimore Museum of Art

• Colby College Museum of Art

As of 2026, Bradford’s influence continues to expand globally through a series of prestigious museum presentations and major institutional acquisitions. Her 2025 exhibition, Communal Table, was widely cited for its poignant exploration of mutual support, further cementing her position as one of the most vital and emotionally resonant painters of the 21st century.