Artists

Nicolas Lambelet Coleman is a Swiss American painter whose work encompasses portraiture, still life, and interior scenes. His paintings are distinguished by their material richness and painterly tactility, often emphasizing the act of painting as much as the subject itself. Through layered brushwork, bold color, and carefully balanced compositions, Coleman constructs a world in which figures and objects become expressions of his intimate relationship with paint rather than literal representations. As critic Celeste Marcus has noted, “His people are not made of flesh and blood. They are made of paint.”

Much of Coleman’s work is autobiographical, frequently employing self-portraiture as a vehicle for exploring identity, self-conception, and environment. Born to a Swiss mother and African American father, he draws on his hybrid heritage and personal history to interrogate and reimagine cultural narratives, often placing himself at the center of kaleidoscopic compositions that reflect on universality, individuality, and belonging. His interest in Black history informs series such as Reconstruction & Redemption, which depicts 19th-century African American leaders from the South, connecting past and present through a contemporary lens.

Coleman studied visual art and political science at Duke University and has exhibited widely for an emerging artist of his generation. Recent solo exhibitions include Thierry Goldberg (New York), Steve Turner (Los Angeles), and a forthcoming presentation at PM/AM (London). He has participated in international fairs and group exhibitions, including the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair (New York, 2022; Marrakech, 2023) and 33rd September at the Alexandria Museum of Art (2020). His work continues to evolve through a balance of personal narrative, painterly boldness, and an exploration of the shared human condition.