Biography

Artist Biography

Amy Magee is a British contemporary artist whose creative journey led her from the creative melting pot of Bristol (UK) to the artistic landscapes of Southern France. 

Magee grew up in rural England and was an avid painter from her early years. Fascinated by the intricate expressions of the human form, she found early inspiration in the evocative figurations of the masters Michelangelo and Caravaggio. During her formative years, the boundary-pushing works of artists such as Jenny Saville opened Amy's eyes to the convergence of classical figuration and modern abstraction.

At university, Amy pursued her fascination for the human mind, studying Cognitive Psychology and the neuroscience behind how we process visual information and interact with our environment. Discovering a deep resonance with the Abstract Expressionists, Amy explored the profound impact of visual arts on the human psyche and her work took on an abstract dimension.

Now, Amy's paintings have become windows into raw, unfiltered emotion immortalised on canvas. Guided solely by intuition and her inner experience, Amy conjures dreamscape paintings that emanate from within, bringing to life both a fusion of her Southern France surroundings and her inner world.

To date, Amy has exhibited in Florence, London and NYC. She is represented by seven galleries, produces commissioned work for global projects, and her work now features in private collections worldwide.

Artist Statement

My work lives at the intersection of intuition and historical memory - large-format oil paintings that emerge from a deeply lyrical engagement with the past and an embodied response to the present. I draw from the organic rhythms and ornamental sensibilities of Rococo painting, as well as the compositional grandeur and reverence for light found in Renaissance and Impressionist art. Yet these references act not as blueprints but as whispers; subtle sparks that dissolve into gesture, texture, and atmosphere.

Before relocating to the South of France, I lived in a dense urban environment surrounded by the immediacy of street art and layered, weathered walls. My earlier mixed-media work echoed this visual language - built with textural depth and grit. But here in the South, immersed in light, beauty, and historical stillness, something shifted. I felt a pull toward reduction and the classical - a return to something sublimely beautiful within the contemporary dialogue. I stripped my materials back to oil paint alone, seeking maximal intentionality and responsiveness.

Now, the southern light and proximity to water and nature have infused my palette with breath and luminosity. One can find a new dynamism and lightness in my compositions; fleeting flourishes, petal-like forms, and atmospheric veils that seem to be carried by wind. The compositions envelope the viewer in an environment that is both deeply present and curiously placeless. Though non-representational, the paintings suggest something just beyond recognition: dream-like landscapes or imagined terrains, rendered as memory or sensation rather than subject.

My process begins with broad contrasts of dark and light, often sparked by a passing glance at a Rococo or Renaissance image to inspire a palette or spatial rhythm. I feel a personal pull toward the analogue, the slow, and the classical. In a world of instant messaging, I still handwrite letters that will last a lifetime; in a time of limitless image-generation possibilities, I use age-old pigments and impasto oil paint as an act of timelessness and tangibility. I am not against technology; I digitally-source references to visually synthesise paintings into their most expressive essence: light, pigment, gesture, and rhythm. But I intentionally limit my engagement with them to allow the painting to unfold entirely by intuition.

Unlike the historical movements I reference, I choose to leave the artist’s hand visible - favouring presence over perfection. In this, I feel connected to the ideology of the Abstract Expressionists; I see painting as a way to immortalise a moment and record the energy, emotion, and rhythm of a studio session, where brushwork becomes a trace of presence. These paintings are not narratives, but experiences - inviting sensation over interpretation. 

The work invites communion - a ‘place’ for shared vulnerability between artist and viewer. Each brush mark says: Here is where I was. Here is how I moved for this moment. Giving the viewer permission to be just as present. The paintings offer ambiguous spaces to dwell and feel, where one is not looking at something, but inside something. 

Murals

You can also discover Amy’s work in the form of murals across various cities in Europe. A pivotal chapter in Amy's artistic evolution unfolded in Bristol, a city renowned for its street art heritage and the birthplace of iconic figures such as Banksy, Inky and Damien Hirst. Here, she delved into the world of murals and spray cans, crafting a signature style that harmonised her early classical influences with the urban environment. Themes of nature, the human mind, and the transience of street art pulsate through her creations.

Recent Exhibitions:

Amy has exhibited at over 40 art fairs and exhibitions across the world, including more recently:

Alexander Palace, London UK; Art Fair, 2025

Battersea Affordable Art Fair, London UK, 2025

Museo Bellini, Florence, IT, June 2023