New York’s go-to gallery for photorealist art, Louis K. Meisel, has been firing on all cylinders this year, adding three new artists—Ben Johnson, Davis Cone, and Rod Penner—to its roster since January. 

The gallery, which has defined itself with carefully executed exhibitions of works by leading photorealist artists, including Audrey Flack, Robert Bechtle, and Yigal Ozeri, will be showcasing works by all three of its new artists throughout the coming year. 

Find out more about each of the artists—and see their works—below. 

Ben Johnson’s Architectural Investigations 

Ben Johnson, Roman Room (2014). Courtesy Louis K. Meisel.

London-based artist Ben Johnson makes immersive, large-scale paintings of interiors and cityscapes that are rooted in an interest in architectural history as well as the ways that those histories influence perspective. Johnson first adopted architecture as his subject in the 1960s, focusing on contemporary architecture and industrial design, but evolving over the years to include Neoclassical interiors and Islamic architecture, and more recently panoramic views of cities. Alway emptied of people, these scenes are meant to create a space for contemplation.

Davis Cone’s Americana Marquee Theaters 

Davis Cone, Rio Golden Hour (2020). Courtesy of Louis K. Meisel Gallery.

The classic American theater marquee has been Davis Cone’s devoted subject since the 1970s. Over the decades, Cone has painted more than 100 theater facades from various locations across the United States, and which, intrinsic to their different sites, capture the varied American landscapes, from rural midwestern towns to the city streets of Miami and New York. What unifies many of these works is the stark juxtaposition of the glamourous Art Deco design of these often abandoned theaters against their contemporary surroundings.

Rod E. Penner’s Gritty Southwestern Scenes

Rod Penner, Yellow Light, Brenham, TX (2004-05). Courtesy of Louis K. Meisel.

For the past 30 years, Texas-based artist Rod E. Penner has created cinematic paintings that capture the overlooked beauty and grit of southwestern American towns. Penner brings his focus not to the wonder of the landscapes alone, but to scenes of poverty and isolation experienced in many of these desolate towns. Penner manages to locate the beauty of the main streets, abandoned buildings, and the track housing of the post-war era without idealizing the sometimes stark realities of life in these places.