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Mai (Afterlife) after Sir Joshua Reynolds’ Portrait of Mai (Omai), 2023

Silkscreen in 15 layers on 410gsm Somerset tub-sized radiant white paper
Signed by the artist’s hand and numbered, on verso and comes with signed COA from the publishers.

50.5 x 37.7 cm

Edition 87 of 100

Elizabeth Peyton offers a poignant reinterpretation of Reynolds’ iconic portrait through her distinctive contemporary lens in this artwork. This close-cropped study captures Mai’s face in sweeping shades of fuchsia, rendering the subject with characteristic tenderness. Created to commemorate the historic acquisition of Reynolds’ masterpiece, Peyton’s work transforms the first recorded Polynesian visitor to Britain into an intimate meditation on cultural exchange and temporal connection. The piece exemplifies Peyton’s ability to bridge historical narratives with contemporary artistic language, reflecting her ongoing exploration of portraiture as a vehicle for emotional resonance. Through her gestural mark-making and sensitive handling of colour, Peyton creates a dialogue between past and present, celebrating Mai’s historical significance and the enduring power of portraiture.

Elizabeth Peyton

Elizabeth Peyton’s paintings have been popular since the mid-1990s. Using oil paints, she creates stylized renderings of her friends and muses, alongside pop culture icons and European monarchs. Most of her paintings are relatively small portraits, and her work has regularly formed a part of exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, and London, including at the Royal Academy. She has named the photographers Robert Mapplethorpe, Alfred Stieglitz, and Nadar as formative influences, all of whom made images of their close friends and acquaintances. Peyton uses photographs as a basis for her paintings, and recent work has included portraits of musicians such as Kanye West and The Libertines.