Spencer Lewis

Known for his bold, gestural paintings, Spencer Lewis merges abstraction with raw, expressive energy. His free-standing canvas are filled with dynamic brushstrokes and a visceral sense of movement. His work reflects a deep engagement with the physical process of painting, often using unconventional materials such as plywood or cardboard as his canvases, giving his work a textured, almost sculptural quality.

Born in 1979 in Hartford, Connecticut, Lewis studied at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he immersed himself in the world of abstract painting. He later attended the University of California, Los Angeles to his MFA. Throughout his career, Lewis has drawn inspiration from a wide range of art historical movements, including Abstract Expressionism, action painting and even the rough immediacy of street art. His work is often compared to that of artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Franz Kline for its raw energy and graphic intensity.

One of the defining features of Spencer Lewis’s art is his use of large, sweeping gestures that convey emotion through motion. His paintings are built up through layers of paint, often applied thickly or scratched away to reveal earlier layers, creating a sense of depth and history within the work. This layering process results in highly textured surfaces that emphasise the materiality of the paint itself. Lewis’s canvases frequently appear as if they are in flux, capturing the immediacy of the artist’s hand in the act of creation.

Spencer Lewis currently lives and works in Los Angeles. He has exhibited widely, and his works can be found in the collections of the National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the Museu Inimá de Paula in Brazil and more.