Born 1990, Queens, NY
Nicole Appel (b. 1990) lives in Queens and works at Brooklyn’s LAND Studio and Gallery, which she joined in 2016. A self-taught artist, Appel’s detailed color pencil drawings act as non-traditional forms of portraiture that reflect her deep connection to the world and those around her. With themes ranging from animals to travel and beyond, Appel’s compositions merge seemingly disparate subjects to create one of a kind masterpieces. Conventional portraits have traditionally represented people using their faces. Appel’s “Patchwork Portraits” represent people non-traditionally, as a collection or ‘patchwork’ of the things that they like or care about. Appel’s works are represented in important collections nationally and internationally, including the collections of the Museum of Everything, Rebecca and Martin Eisenberg, and KAWS. Appel’s work was recently featured in The Way I See It: Selections from KAWS Collection at The Drawing Center (2024-25).
2024
The Way I See It: Selections from the KAWS Collection, The Drawing Center, New York, NY
2019
Trading Spaces, Salena Gallery, LIU Brooklyn, NY
LAND At The State Capitol, LAND Gallery, New York, NY
Every Woman Biennial: I Wanna Dance With Somebody, LaMaMa Galleria, New York, NY
The Creative Commons, ArtYard, Frenchtown, NJ
2018
Connecting Spontaneous Expressions, Riera Studio, Havana, Cuba
MIXTAPE, The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Education and Research Building, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
2017
LAND Studio & Gallery Benefit Dinner, The National Arts Club, New York, NY
Storytellers, LAND Gallery, New York, NY
2016
Hungry for the Holidays, LAND Studio & Gallery, New York, NY
Facebook Pop Up, Facebook Headquarters, New York, NY
Blackboard, LAND Studio & Gallery, New York, NY
Designing Women, LAND Studio & Gallery, New York, NY
2015
BEAUTIFUL MINDS, Pure Vision Arts, ROCA, West Nyack, NY
Somoza Palooza, Metropolitan West, New York, NY
On the Outside Looking In/Outsider Self Taught Art from the U.S. and Europe, Ridgefield Public Library, CT
2014
Savant-Garde, Pure Vision Arts, New York, NY
Public Access: Selections from Pure Vision Arts, The Gallery at Ace Hotel, New York, NY
Any Colour You Like It, Weird Days, Brooklyn, NY
Al Fresco, LWR Fine Art, New York, NY
Transit on the Spectrum: The Art of Pure Vision, New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn, NY
2013
Personal Space, Pure Vision Arts, New York, NY