Lucie Bennett Biography

Lucie Bennett’s work presents potent images of women in varying guises - as haunting sirens, alluring pin-ups and supernatural nymphs - but plays absorbing games with the viewer’s preconceptions of these deceptively familiar archetypes. Bennett’s images are sometimes confrontational, directly challenging the viewer. At other times, her women are elusive, oblivious to the viewer’s gaze, seemingly existing in an other-worldly space beyond the surface of the paint.

After a while out of the limelight, in autumn 2011 Bennett showed her new body of work in a solo show at the Menier Chocolate Factory, London. Having always focused on the female form, she takes these new works one step further and looks beyond the surface to the organic forms of the body's interior, using botanical references to merge images of plant and human anatomy. Eyestorm have four screenprints from this series available.

Bennett gained a BA from Manchester Metropolitan University in Interactive Arts, graduating in 1997. She also studied at L’Ecole Regionale des Beaux-Arts de Nantes in France. Solo shows have been at Drella Gallery (2009), Opus Gallery (2006), Eyestorm Gallery (2005), The Gallery on Cork Street (2004), and at Space Gallery (2003). Spring 2009 saw her exhibiting at the prestigious Armory Fair in New York for the third year running. Bennett has also featured in a number of group exhibitions including RCA Secrets at The Royal College of Art, Bob’s Your Uncle at Eyestorm Gallery, New York and Girls In Space at Space Gallery, London.

Bennett’s work is shown regularly at art fairs. A large painting of hers is on permanent display in the Press Room at Soho’s prestigeous private members club Groucho, she has been specially commissioned to produce work for Selfridges and House Of Fraser, and is proud to have auctioned work on behalf of the Terrence Higgins Trust, The British Red Cross and The ME Support Group. Bennett’s work was also featured in the first UK series of BBC2’s hit TV show The Apprentice. A team of the contestants were tasked with selling as much of her work as possible during a two hour private view, competing with the other team, who were selling the work of artists Rob and Nick Carter.