Chantal Joffe

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969) is a British painter celebrated for her psychologically incisive portraits and large-scale figurative canvases. Born in Vermont before moving to England at the age of 13, she studied at Glasgow School of Art and completed her MA at the Royal College of Art in London. Joffe’s work has consistently focused on the human figure, often depicting women and children in compositions that balance tenderness with unflinching honesty.

Working with expressive, sweeping brushstrokes, she captures the vulnerability and complexity of her subjects, whether family members, friends, models or herself. Her portraits frequently play with scale, rendering intimate moments on monumental canvases, while her use of distortion conveys both physical presence and emotional truth. Joffe’s influences range from Alice Neel and Paula Modersohn-Becker to photography and contemporary fashion imagery, yet her style remains distinctly her own.

Over the years, she has developed a deeply personal body of work that charts relationships, motherhood, identity and the passage of time. Self-portraiture, in particular, has become central to her practice, allowing her to explore the shifting realities of female experience with candour and wit.

Joffe has exhibited widely, including at the Whitechapel Gallery, the Royal Academy and Victoria Miro in London. Her work is held in major collections such as Tate, the National Portrait Gallery and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, securing her reputation as one of the leading figurative painters of her generation.

CHANTAL JOFFE (B. 1969)

Night Self-Portrait in a Red Dress

CHANTAL JOFFE (B. 1969)

Untitled (Mother and Child)

Chantal Joffe (B. 1969)

Woman with Flowers

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

Walking Woman

CHANTAL JOFFE (B. 1969)

Promenade des Anglais

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

Bikini Blonde

CHANTAL JOFFE (B. 1969)

Self-Portrait with Esme at Night

CHANTAL JOFFE (B. 1969)

Mother and Child I

CHANTAL JOFFE (B. 1969)

Untitled

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

Mother and Child I

Chantal Joffe (B. 1969)

Black Camisole

CHANTAL JOFFE (B. 1969)

Esme with a Rainbow Umbrella

CHANTAL JOFFE (B. 1969)

Untitled

CHANTAL JOFFE (B. 1969)

Dawlish

Chantal Joffe (B. 1969)

(i)-(v) Untitled (vi) Rose

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

LaJJ

CHANTAL JOFFE (B. 1969)

Untitled

CHANTAL JOFFE (B. 1969)

Untitled

Chantal Joffe (B. 1969)

(i-iv) Untitled (v) Little Girl I (vi) Little Girls IV

Chantal Joffe (B. 1969)

Untitled

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

Untitled

CHANTAL JOFFE (B. 1969)

Untitled

Chantal Joffe (B. 1969)

Couples

Chantal Joffe (B. 1969)

(i) Untitled (ii) Tobacco (iii) Bubble Gum (iv) Untitled

Chantal Joffe (B. 1969)

Marcella in a Blue Dress

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

Augusta and Nina

CHANTAL JOFFE (B. 1969)

Woman in a White Bikini

Chantal Joffe (B. 1969)

(i) Little Girls 5 (ii) (iv) (v) Untitled (iii) (vi) Little Girl III

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

The Jewish Bride

Chantal Joffe (B. 1969)

Moll at Seagate

CHANTAL JOFFE (B. 1969)

Untitled

CHANTAL JOFFE (B. 1969)

Redhead in Stripes

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

(i) - (iv) Untitled

CHANTAL JOFFE (b. 1969)

Backstage

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

Untitled

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

(i) Untitled (Girl in a white dress) (ii) Untitled (Girl on a Blue Background)

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

Untitled

Chantal Joffe (B. 1969)

Vita

CHANTAL JOFFE (B. 1969)

Backstage

Chantal Joffe (B. 1969)

Untitled

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

Untitled

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

Untitled (Topless Woman in White Knickers)

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

Untitled

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

Untitled (Girl in White Dress Crazy Paving)

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

Untitled

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

Only a Housewife

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

Untitled

Chantal Joffe (B. 1969)

Untitled

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

Self Portrait with Ishbel at Glasgow School of Art

Chantal Joffe (b. 1969)

Moll