Last updated: 27 October 2026
Olivia Drusin is the Brooklyn painter of doorways, blocked views and everyday spaces that look slightly wrong. Here you will find our take on her work, her 2026 New York shows, and how to buy it.
Our take on Olivia Drusin
Drusin paints what her gallery calls “reductive depictions of thresholds, obscured views, and the uncanny within the everyday”. She sees that as the subject of painting itself. “I like thinking of painting as always about thresholds,” she told Two Coats of Paint in 2026.
Her first New York gallery solo, DUMMY at Alyssa Davis Gallery, brought together 14 works from 2023 to 2026. “This is definitely a show about light,” she said in the same interview. The sizes range from 6 x 4 in panels to canvases 79 in tall.
In her Columbia thesis statement she wrote: “There is something about the absurdity of images and image making that I can’t quite look beyond.” Her work is sold through Alyssa Davis Gallery by enquiry.
Olivia Drusin: the essentials
- Born in New York in 1994; lives in Brooklyn, according to her CV.
- MFA, Columbia University, 2024; BFA, The Cooper Union School of Art, 2016.
- Paints in oil on canvas, with small works in oil on wood.
- Had her first New York gallery solo at Alyssa Davis Gallery in 2026.
Olivia Drusin exhibitions
- Second Interior, with Steph Gonzalez-Turner, International Waters, Brooklyn, 2026.
- DUMMY, solo show, Alyssa Davis Gallery, New York, 7 March to 19 April 2026.
- GIVE ME TWO, curated by Marcus Jahmal and Giorgia Alliata, Anton Kern Gallery, New York, 14 January to 21 February 2026.
- Passion for the Void, with Kay Kasparhauser, Spill 180, Brooklyn, 2025.
- She has not shown in the UK.
Olivia Drusin FAQs
Where can I buy an Olivia Drusin painting?
Through Alyssa Davis Gallery in New York, by enquiry. Prices are not published.
Where is Olivia Drusin based?
Brooklyn, New York. She was born in New York in 1994.
Where did Olivia Drusin study?
The Cooper Union School of Art (BFA, 2016) and Columbia University (MFA, 2024).
Has Olivia Drusin shown in London?
Not that we could find. Her shows so far have been in New York, Austin and Oslo.
More from CoolCuration
- Cecily Brown at the Serpentine review: another painter of crowded, colourful canvases.
- Freelands Painting Prize review: more young painters to watch.
- Great Women Artists: the Phaidon survey for your shelf.
- Best affordable art in the UK: where to start collecting original work.
Think we’re missing something, got something wrong, or want to be featured? Contact us.
Main image: Olivia Drusin. Photo courtesy of the artist. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates and prices last checked: 27 October 2026.
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