Brett Amory
Microcosm, 2016
Oil paint on canvas
60 × 48 inches
$ 9,500
C-lective Curator’s Cut:
Brett’s Microcosm shows a produce handler, a typical subject for Amory, appearing to daydream or step out of reality. His head passes through a portal, rendered with clarity while his body dissolves into abstraction. Serene lilac swirls form an earthly yet otherworldly backdrop, while a burst of teal on the left draws the eye, pulling us into the portal with him. The fruit at the lower left keeps us grounded in the everyday, even as the vivid palette infuses the scene with whimsy. Where Brett often questions the patterns society expects us to follow, this work celebrates our desire to escape, imagine, and find beauty beyond the ordinary.
Brett Amory
We Love Brett. He is an Oakland-based visual artist known for his moody, atmospheric paintings that capture the tension of everyday urban life. His work often explores themes of isolation, routine, and the passage of time in contemporary spaces. His work reframes our day-to-day interactions, and asks us to question how technology, gentrification, and community impact our lives.
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Master of Fine Arts from Stanford University
Bachelor of Fine Arts from Academy of Art University, San Francisco
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Current Lecturer in the Department of Art & Art History at Stanford University
Brett’s awards include the BP Award, National Portrait Gallery, London (2016), Distinguished Alumni Award, Academy of Art University (2014), Artist of the Year, San Francisco Bay Guardian (2012), and First Place, Art Interview International Competition (2009).
He was a Graduate Fellow, Headlands Center for the Arts (2021–2022) and an Artist-in-Residence at de Young Museum, San Francisco (2017), Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Indiana (2016), and Symposium International, Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec (2014).
His work has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, London, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Indiana, Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, and de Young Museum, San Francisco.
Brett’s explores our fleeting, seemingly-mundane experiences of everyday. He illustrates a new way to look at life that evokes emotional introspection. Drawing from his background in both fine art and design, he blends figurative and abstract elements to express a world shaped by disconnection and longing. His use of blurred forms, muted palettes, and cinematic composition invites viewers to slow down and consider the unnoticed moments that define urban life. Whether painting crowded transit stations or solitary figures in liminal spaces, Brett captures the poignancy of simply existing in time.
"I’m interested in the overlooked — the in-between moments and the people we pass without really seeing."
Interviews in progress, please check back soon!