A Little Tenderness

IN NAUDLINE PIERRE’S paintings, dreams become reality, spirits take form, and wishes are granted. Her figures, many of them winged, glow incandescently in pink, purple, orange, yellow, green, or else they are shrouded in shadow, gray and brown. In this visionary world, scales and feathers turn into flesh and vice versa, while disembodied heads nestle amid the human figures. These are large-scale canvases, and their size augments their power to draw the viewer into the alternate universe portrayed therein.

Born in Leominster, Mass., Pierre now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., where she has a studio in the Greenpoint section. At (2019), which was just acquired by the museum. “Providing a platform for the work of rising artists is a critical element of the DMA’s contemporary art exhibitions and programs, reflecting the global voices shaping creative practice today and connecting audiences with some of the most influential artists of our time,” said Dr. Agustín Arteaga, the DMA’s Eugene McDermott Director. “Naudline Pierre is one such artist, and we are honored to have her work not only on our walls but also in our collection, where it will continue to awe and inspire.”