In original new works, seven fine artists nominate their players of the year
Curated by Sayuri Tanabe
Regina Hall by Humberto Cruz
“I wanted to give Regina an aura of empowerment,” explains San Diego–based artist Humberto Cruz. “It is a constant battle to be an actress in Hollywood. The butterflies symbolize evolution, as actors are always transforming.”
George Clooney and Adam Sandler by Tara Lewis
Tara Lewis’ portraits of George Clooney and Adam Sandler form a diptych-like conversation: Like the Jay Kelly characters that inspired them, the two paintings need each other. Lewis, who also works in silkscreen, is based between New York and New England.
Jesse Plemons by Sachi Moskowitz
“Yorgos Lanthimos is one of my favorite directors, and Bugonia is a film I still talk about with my friends,” says Sachi Moskowitz. Intrigued by the movie, she looked up the meaning of its title. Bugonia refers to an ancient belief that bees could spontaneously generate from the carcass of a sacrificed bull, symbolizing life emerging from death.
Paul Mescal by Tara Lewis
Influenced by media culture and Gen Z, Tara Lewis’ work emerges from close research into her subjects’ off-duty identities. Here, she drew inspiration from a festival image of Mescal wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a reference to William Shakespeare, his character in Hamnet.
Jennifer Lawrence & Emma Stone by Monica Loya
Through close-ups of the face, Monica Loya’s portraits explore nuanced expressions of emotional urgency. Originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, the Mexico City–based Loya has worked as an artist since the pandemic.
Jeremy Allen White & Laura Dern
by Lola Montes Schnabel
Lola Montes Schnabel rarely engages with popular media, a distance that allows for a detached yet exploratory engagement with contemporary figures. Now based in Sicily, the multidisciplinary artist typically works in solitude, immersed in nature—a sharp contrast to New York City, where she was born and raised.
Jessie Buckley & Oscar Isaac
by Javier Ramirez
Grounded in the Los Angeles art community, Javier Ramirez credits the city’s artist-run spaces and collective support as essential to sustaining his practice beyond market forces. Ramirez studied at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, where he focused on fine art and painting.
Sigourney Weaver & Zoe Saldaña by Jordi Alós
Jordi Alós’ practice is grounded in continuous research into movement, both in human bodies and objects. Alós began his artistic trajectory in muralism and graffiti, influences that continue to shape his work. He lives in Mexico City and Mérida, Mexico.
Robert Pattinson by Jordi Alós
After studying design and advertising, Jordi Alós reoriented his professional practice to pursue his true passion of art. He has exhibited with König Gallery and Adhesivo Gallery.
Sayuri Tanabe
Growing up surrounded by the artistic legacies of Japan, Mexico and U.S. inspired Sayuri Tanabe to pursue a career as an art advisor, curator and appraiser. She profiled the creatives featured in “Artists by Artists.”