Nicole Eisenman’s paintings are known for their macabre themes, dark humor, and canny critiques of pop culture and art history. Among her influences in Seder are the opulent Impressionist and Post-Impressionist luncheon scenes of Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Pierre Bonnard. Perhaps a hint of Norman Rockwell’s populist Thanksgiving tableau, Freedom from Want, may also be detected. In the painting she captures the tensions between tradition and innovation in the contemporary Passover meal. The role of seder leader, who directs the evening’s rituals, is here given to the viewer, whose enlarged hands dominate the foreground. Children and adults display every attitude from attentive interest to boredom. Their expressions, from the grotesque and distorted to the charming and tender, make the scene familiar to anyone who has celebrated a family holiday.



Nicole Eisenman was born in Verdun, France, and received her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the Rhode Island School of Design. In 2005 she and the artist A. L. Steiner cofounded Ridykeulous, an artist-run collective that focuses primarily on queer and feminist art and produces exhibitions, performances, and publications. She was awarded the Carnegie Prize in 2013 and the MacArthur Fellowship in 2015. Eisenman lives and works in New York