Alyssa Monks

Alyssa Monks is an American painter based in Brooklyn, New York, known for her large-scale oil paintings that have garnered recognition in the United States and Europe. Monks specializes in figurative art, often depicting figures obscured by water, steam, and vinyl. Her work explores the intersection of realism and abstraction, blending elements of portraiture and landscape to examine themes such as loss, love, desire, and hope.

Monks studied at The New School in New York and Montclair State University, earned a Bachelor of Arts from Boston College, and studied painting at Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence. She holds a Master of Fine Arts from the New York Academy of Art, Graduate School of Figurative Art, where she serves as a trustee and instructor.

Since her first solo exhibition in New York, Monks has developed a distinctive approach to figurative painting, initially using water, steam, and glass to create immersive, layered compositions. Her decade-long water series is particularly recognized for its photorealistic depiction of the human figure combined with abstracted spatial elements. Over time, her practice evolved, especially following the loss of her mother to cancer, which prompted a shift from controlled, interior spaces to expressive, nature-driven abstraction. This transformation became the focus of her TED Talk, "How loss helped one artist find beauty in imperfection."

Monks has received the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant for Painting three times. Her paintings and drawings were featured in the FX series "The Americans," where her work was used to represent the artistic output of a character central to the show's narrative. Monks' art is included in public and private collections such as the Savannah College of Arts, Somerset Art Association, Fullerton College, the Seavest Collection, and the collections of Eric Fischl, Howard Tullman, Danielle Steele, Alec Baldwin, and Luciano Benetton.

Solo exhibitions of Monks' work have been presented at The Bo Bartlett Center in Columbus, Georgia, Forum Gallery with "It's All Under Control," San Luis Obispo Museum of Art with "Alyssa Monks: Be Perfectly Still, A Retrospective," and MM Fine Art Gallery with "Where Longing Meets Limits." Graphic Design Degree Hub has ranked Monks among the most influential women artists. She continues to teach, lecture, and mentor emerging figurative painters, contributing to the contemporary art landscape through both her practice and educational efforts.