Sarah Ball

Sarah Ball paints monumental portraits of often anonymous sitters with inscrutable, idiosyncratic expressions. Her soft brushstrokes, muted color palettes, and solid backgrounds work in contrast to the piercing gazes of her subjects, which Ball often sources from newspaper cuttings, archival photographs, and social media. The resulting canvases are both intimate and confrontational. The U.K.-born and -based artist studied at Newport Art College before receiving her MFA from Bath Spa University in 2005. She has exhibited in London, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and beyond. Her works belong in the collections of the Kistefos Museum in Norway, the British Museum, and the Rachofsky Collection in Dallas. Ball’s portraits thematize issues of identity, gender, and aesthetics.