Lucie Bennett’s work presents potent images of women in varying guises - as haunting sirens, alluring pin-ups and supernatural nymphets - 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 flawless surface of the paint.
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. Before becoming a professional…
Lucie Bennett’s work presents potent images of women in varying guises - as haunting sirens, alluring pin-ups and supernatural nymphets - 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 flawless surface of the paint.
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. Before becoming a professional painter in 2001, she exhibited her films and performance pieces at The Edinburgh Festival (’The Hole’), Ecran Total in Nantes (’The Life and Loves of a Sex Goddess’) and The Notting Hill Carnival.
Solo shows as a painter and printmaker have included ‘Untitled’ at The Gallery on Cork Street (2004), ‘Raunch’ at Caspar Dunstan Gallery (2004) and ‘Frill’ at Space Gallery (2003). Spring 2005 saw her exhibiting at the prestigious Armory Fair in New York for the second year running.
Bennett has also featured in a number of group exhibitions including ‘Bob’s Your Uncle’ at Eyestorm gallery, New York and the series of ‘Square Art’ exhibitions in Golden Square, London. Her work is on permanent display in the Press Room at Soho’s Groucho Club; she has been specially commissioned to produce work for House of Fraser and Selfridges, and is proud to have auctioned work on behalf of the Terrence Higgins Trust, The British Red Cross and The ME Support Group.
In 2005 Bennett had an extremely successful first solo show at the Eyestorm gallery in Maddox Street. Bennett’s work was also featured in the first UK series of BBC1’s hit TV show The Apprentice. A team of the contestants had to sell as much of Bennett’s work as possible during a two hour private view, competing with the other team, who were selling the work of fellow Eyestorm artists Rob and Nicky Carter.
