Nicole Eisenman on Figurative Painting, Exes, and Her Ideal Obituary

In an interview with Cultured Magazine as part of the 2026 CULT100 honorees, artist Nicole Eisenman discusses her practice, influences, and personal life. Known for her exuberant, confrontational figurative paintings and large-scale public sculptures, Eisenman collapses distinctions between the political, poetic, and absurd. She takes Trazodone to sleep, wishes the art world were braver with its politics, and feels most at home on her George Smith sofa recovered in striped fabric from Schumacher Addison, which she got for free from her ex-girlfriend's childhood friend's parents, the Merkers, on the Upper West Side. She recently laughed hysterically over drinks at Manuela with Ryan McNamara, Hardy Hill, and Ambera Wellmann, noting that espresso martinis help and that the chemistry of friend groups is under-discussed. She calls her exes the most and uses voice memos like walkie-talkies. Her ideal obituary headline is "SHE'S GONE!" in 96-point type. Surprising influences include Schiaparelli and Matières Fécales. If not an artist, she would be a scenic painter for the Metropolitan Opera.