Gladys Nilsson (b.1940, Chicago) studied painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1958-62. In 1973, she was among the first women to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, USA). She lives and works in Chicago.

Nilsson first came to prominence in 1966, as a member of a group of graduates (Jim Nutt, Suellen Rocca, Karl Wirsum, Art Green and Jim Falconer) who exhibited under the moniker Hairy Who at Chicago’s Hyde Park Art Center. Despite only exhibiting together for three years from 1966-69, these shows are now cited as the first defining moments of Chicago Imagism.

Nilsson’s work is masterfully executed in vibrant watercolour, characterised by densely constructed compositions, in which figures press up against the picture plane. A unique application of watercolour, for which she has become synonymous, began in the 1960s as a safer alternative to oil paint whilst pregnant. Her dedication to painting was not hampered, instead watercolour became Nilsson’s medium of choice, and her skill and success in this inherently strict format has meant she has not returned to canvas.

A Table (2008) depicts a playful narrative, masterfully executed in vibrant watercolour and characterised by a densely constructed composition, in which figures press up against the picture plane. Her narratives begin in the real world – a self-proclaimed voyeur, she looks closely at human interactions which she transforms into a universe of her own creation. From a blue-collar background, Nilsson think there is a lot to be said for simply getting through the day – ‘I like to celebrate small things.’ Monumentalising the humdrum, Nilsson plots big moments and absurd twists for her idiosyncratic characters - favouring humour over realism, limbs unnaturally contort and curve.

In A Table (2008), Nilsson is unencumbered by the rules of gravity, scale or proportion, figures of varying sizes fill the frame. Drawing inspiration from fine art and mass culture, she attributes rapid scale change to both an appreciation for Renaissance alter pieces and growing up with the Sears catalogue which formatted clothing advertisements with a large image alongside smaller images of all the available colours.