Alex Israel (b. 1982 in Los Angeles, California) received his BA in 2003 from Yale University and his MFA in 2010 from the Roski School of Fine Arts at the University of Southern California.
Israel explores the American Dream through the lens of the Los Angeles ethos, a mythical realm of celebrity and entertainment culture. His works are veneered with the cool, flashy superficiality of California culture and embrace the hygenic optimism of this eternally youthful world, while simultaneously making calm but clever ironic commentary and re-contextualizing material objects. Israel makes an effort to actively engage in his cultural surroundings, adapting to convention in order to cultivate his own unique voice: “The whole idea of the artist locked away in solitary confinement—I just don’t feel that narrative is meaningful for people today, who have direct access to their favorite creatives on Twitter or Facebook. For me, being in the work, and being around it, feels natural.”
Israel has been featured in exhibitions at Gagosian Gallery (Los Angeles, London, Rome), Reena Spaulings Gallery (New York), and the Nasher Sculpture Center (Dallas). His works are also in the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Moderna Museet (Stockholm), and the Guggenheim Museum (New York). He lives and works in Los Angeles.
The artist’s work is featured in RxART Coloring Book Between the Lines, Vol. 5.
Alex Israel also worked with RxART to create a limited edition tote bag featuring Self Portrait Maze, 2015.