Kyle Dunn

The first book to survey the exquisitely rendered paintings of the New York-based figurative painter Kyle Dunn

Part of a new generation of queer figurative painters, Kyle Dunn draws on a vast range of references, from vibrant Technicolor film to elaborate Dutch still life and the chiaroscuro moodiness of Caravaggio. Dunn’s panel paintings are carefully staged and psychologically rich narrative tableaux of figures inhabiting quiet domestic settings and still lifes updated for the modern era.

Showcasing virtuosic skill and drawing on trompe-l’oeil traditions, his scenes are illuminated by a cinematic light that infuses a sense of melodrama and lends them the appearance of film stills. Balancing nods to art history with subtle humor and subversive messages, his technique calls to mind American realist painters like Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth, as well as the magical realism (and unapologetic queerness) of Paul Cadmus and George Tooker.

This book, the artist’s first, showcases fifty paintings made over the past five years. Beautifully reproduced, full-page images of artworks are accompanied by a generous number of detail shots revealing Dunn’s exacting process. Together with two new essays by Jared Quinton and Eden Deering, as well as an interview with Dunn by Jarrett Earnest, the book presents Dunn as one of the most exciting rising stars in contemporary figurative painting.