France-Lise McGurn

France-Lise McGurn is an artist whose atmospheric creations transcend the boundaries of traditional galleries and museums. Her unique approach invites viewers to enter the innermost sanctuaries of her life: her studio, her bedroom, and the depths of her mind. McGurn's figurative art offers an immersive experience, immersing viewers in a three-dimensional world that feels intimately relatable.

Biography of France-Lise McGurn

France-Lise McGurn was born in 1983 in Glasgow, UK. She earned a BA in Fine Art in Painting from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in 2005. Later, she furthered her education by obtaining an MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art in London in 2012. Additionally, she participated in the John Kinross Scholarship at the Royal Scottish Academy in Florence, Italy, in 2005.

France-Lise McGurn received several awards, including the John Milne Purvis Prize in 2005 and the Jeremy Cubitt Prize in 2010. 

Her recent solo exhibitions include "3am," Satellites Programme at Collective Gallery in Edinburgh, UK (2015); "Mondo Throb" at Bosse and Baum in London, UK (2016); "Art Now: France-Lise McGurn, Sleepless" at Tate Britain in London, UK (2019); "Percussia" at Simon Lee Gallery in London, UK (2020); "Aloud, The Exposé" at Simon Lee Gallery in London, UK (2022), among others. 

McGurn's paintings and other works are part of numerous collections worldwide, including the K11 Art Foundation (Hong Kong), David Roberts Collection (London, UK), Gallery of Modern Art (Glasgow, UK), Scottish National Gallery (Edinburgh, UK), Dallas Museum of Art (Texas, USA), and the Hill Art Foundation (New York, USA).

Currently, she lives and works in Glasgow, UK.

France-Lise McGurn's Art Style

In McGurn's universe, the central figures are born from her vivid imagination. These archetypal women and men, often depicted in various states of undress, inhabit her canvases, engaging in a dance of ecstasy and agony. Some seem vulnerable, gathered in tense tableaux as if shielding themselves from the world's gaze. In contrast, others radiate a languid euphoria, luxuriating in their own essence.

What truly sets McGurn apart is her fluidity of expression. Her compositions, exemplified by works like "Sleepless" from her 2019 solo exhibition at Tate Britain, are uninhibited in form and freedom of expression. Her application of paint defies convention, extending beyond the canvas to seep onto gallery walls and spill onto the floor. For McGurn, every facet of humanity, whether it be excitement, intimacy, poignancy, boredom, or disappointment, is a treasure worth unveiling.