Miss Van (born 1973 in
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
, France), also known as Vanessa Alice, is a
graffiti
Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...
and
street
A street is a public thoroughfare in a city, town or village, typically lined with Building, buildings on one or both sides. Streets often include pavements (sidewalks), pedestrian crossings, and sometimes amenities like Street light, streetligh ...
artist.
Miss Van started painting on the street of Toulouse alongside Mademoiselle Kat at the age of 18. Today, she is now internationally known as a street and fine artist. Primarily, her work is marked by the use of unique characters, called ''poupées,'' or dolls. Miss Van's work has appeared on streets internationally, although she also exhibits canvases in galleries across France, Europe and the United States.
Today, her work is characterized by both street art and
fine art
In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function (such as ...
, blurring the lines between both worlds.
Miss Van currently resides in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
and has written and published several books with the publishing house
Drago and coordinated several art shows across Europe. She remains one of the most famous female street and graffiti artists in the world, recognized as one of the top figures in early 21st-century street art canon.
Artwork
In her artwork, Miss Van typically depicts sloe-eyed women, covering a varied array of female forms and expressing many different emotions. Common themes in her work include eroticism, sexuality, desire and innocence which are represented by animal masks, pastel colors, and revealing clothing.
Miss Van's work illustrates a cartoonish, dream-like world of female sexuality.
Over time the stylization of the women has changed, reflecting Miss Van's artistic and personal evolution as she has grown and matured.
This change is paralleled in Miss Van's increased preference for the gallery over the street.
In the gallery, Miss Van embraces enclosed and intimate gallery space as part of the artistic experience .
Between 2008 and 2016, Miss Van exhibited artwork in private galleries in Shanghai, London, Rome, Berlin, Paris and Vienna.
In North America, she has held shows in Detroit, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Montreal, Chicago and New York.
Notable shows include, ''Still a Little Magic'' at
Upper Playground, San Francisco in 2008; ''Cachetes Colorados'' at Upper Playground, Mexico City in 2010; and ''A Moment in Time'' at
Saatchi Gallery, London in 2016.
The same year, Miss Van also showed at the Atmossphere Biennale in Moscow, where she exhibited a woven wool rug based on an original painting.
Critical reception
Thematically, her work has provoked a negative reaction from some feminists due to the portrayal of women in her graffiti.
Although she receives this backlash, her reasoning for her painting is more personal. "Painting on walls was a way to show that I was boycotting the conventional art world".
[MissVan.com] Despite negative critique of her work, some critics perceive her portrayal of sexuality and feminity as a powerful rejection of
male supremacy and male-dominated art.
Her work is also appreciated for centering women and increasing the representation of women in street art.
Furthermore, the depiction of a
full-figured female form in Miss Van's work is representative of
body positive politics.
Miss Van is regarded as one of the most famous female graffiti and street artists in the world, a genre that is generally considered as having few female artists.
In 2016, Miss Van held her first institutional art show at Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de
Málaga
Málaga (; ) is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 591,637 in 2024, it is the second-most populo ...
in Spain, titled "For The Wind in My Hair."
The show featured 39 original paintings on canvas.
Artnet News calls the show as "interesting discourse between the worlds of fine art and street art."
Miss Van also displays how meaning changes between these two artistic sites, the street and the gallery.
Publications
Books
* ''Wild at Heart'' (2012)
Drago
* ''Twinkles'' (2011) Drago
Books with contributions by Miss Van
* ''Pop Surrealism: What a Wonderfool World'' (2010)
Drago
*
Dorothy Circus Gallery ''Trilogy: Walk on the Wild Side'' (2013)
Drago
Exhibits
2014 �
Miss Van: Glamorous Darkness StolenSpace Gallery, London – Solo Show
2014 �
Spectrum: Winter Group Show StolenSpace Gallery, London – Group Show
2014 �
Art Truancy: Celebrating 20 Years of Juxtapoz Magazine Johnathan LeVine Projects – Group Show
2014 �
StolenSpace Gallery at SCOPE Miami Beach 2014– Fair
2015 �
The Reasons for the Seasons StolenSpace Gallery, London – Group Show
2015 �
FESTIN DE ARTE at Isabelle Croxatto Galleria Isabelle Croxatto Galleria, Santiago – Group Show
2015 �
'Freedom' a Group Show StolenSpace Gallery, Berlin – Group Show
2015 �
FIFTY24MX at LA Art Show 2015– Fair
2016 �
Ch. ACO'16 Isabel Croxatto Galería, Santiago – Group Show
2016 �
Isabel Croxatto Galeria at Contemporary Istanbul 2016 Şişli – Fair
2017 �
Flor de Piel Victor Lope Arte Contemporaneo, Barcelona – Solo Show
2017 �
Welcome to New Jersey Jonathan LeVine Projects, Jersey City – Group Show
2017 �
Isabel Croxatto Galeria at Art Central 2017– Fair
References
External links
Official Miss Van siteMiss Van – InstagramMiss Van at Beinart GalleryJuxtapoz Magazine InterviewLamono Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miss Van
1973 births
Living people
French graffiti artists
20th-century French painters
21st-century French painters
Women graffiti artists
French muralists
French women muralists
Pseudonymous artists
20th-century French women painters
21st-century French women painters