Shelley Adler
Art history has long been shaped by images of women created by men, often through what is known as the “Male Gaze.” While these works can be artistically powerful, they also influence how womanhood is represented. Canadian artist Shelley Adler offers a different perspective. Her women project confidence and presence, often meeting the viewer’s gaze and inviting a sense of connection.
Shelley Adler’s paintings of people’s faces are not portraits in the strict sense of the word as portraits are formulated primarily as likenesses of the sitter. Adler’s are often less about the sitter than the internal processes of the artist and her intense curiosity about people, about the ways of looking, and about the act of painting.
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Adler’s figurative paintings explore light, colour, texture, and scale, with subjects drawn from people she knows, historical figures, and individuals she admires. Balancing portraiture and painterly expression, she creates vibrant, purposeful works that celebrate both character and form.
“What Adler brings to portrait painting- a genre that has suffered a crisis of purpose since the invention of the photograph – is a rare combination of skilled draftsmanship, painterly intelligence and empathy.” Gillian MacKay for Canadian Art Magazine, 2007
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Recent Artwork
Artist Information
Artist Website: www.shelleyadler.com
Toronto, Canada based Shelley Adler attended the Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University, Canada and a Master of Fine Arts from Boston University, USA. Adler has been active in her career for over 25 years and is represented by Kostuik Gallery as of May 2026. Her work is held in many prominent collections and has been exhibited internationally including in Berlin, Miami and New York.
Shelley Adler
Residence: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Born: 1960
Education
Shelley attended the Edinburgh College of Art, has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University, and a Masters of Fine Arts from Boston University.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2024 Sitting, Standing, Looking, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto
2021 Idols, Lovers and Muses, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto
2017 Inks, Evans Contemporary, Peterborough
2017 5 Women, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto
2016 Studies, Madison Gallery, La Jolla, California
2015 Perspectives, Madison Gallery, La Jolla, California
2014 Body Language, Metivier Gallery, Toronto
2012 Picture Day, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto
2009 Ambivalent History, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto
2008 Gender This, Andrea Meislin Gallery, New York
2006 Shelley Adler, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto
2002 New Work, State Gallery, Vancouver
2000 Shelley Adler, Loop Gallery, Toronto
1994 Works on Paper, Here and Now Gallery, Toronto
1994 New Work, Samuel J Zacks Gallery, York University, Toronto
Selected Group Exhibitions
2022 On The Back Of A Cartoon Coaster, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary
2020 XX, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary
2020 This Sacred Vessel (pt 2), Arsenal Contemporary, New York
2019 Black (A Group Show), Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary
2018 The Big Picture, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto
2018 About Time, Galerie Jochen Hempel, Berlin
2018 Women’s Show, Miller Gallery, Cincinnati
2017 Summer Group Show, Miller Gallery, Cincinnati
2016 About Face, Metivier Gallery, Toronto
2015 The Nude Polaroids, Galerie St. Laurent + Hill, Ottawa
2014 Women Painting Women, J. Cacciola Gallery, New York
2014 The Nude Polaroids, Glenhyrst Art Gallery, Brantford
2013 Chroma, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto
2013 Four Portrayals, J. Cacciola Gallery, New York
2012 Recent Work, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto
2012 60 Painters, Humber Arts and Media Studios, Toronto
2011 Eat Drink Man Woman, Art Gallery of Mississauga
2011 Carnival, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto
2011 Pulp Friction, Intellectual Property, Toronto
2008 Carte Blanche Volume 2: Painting, MOCCA, Toronto
2008 The Figure, Sarah Myerscough Gallery, London, UK
2006 Home/Representation, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
2006 Making Room, Heather Nicol Production, Toronto
2006 Paint Jam, Dyan Marie Projects, Toronto
2005 Group Show, Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto
2005 Anonymous, Loop Gallery, Toronto
2004 Just Enough to Tickle, Drabinsky Gallery, Toronto
2003 Face Paintings, Loop Gallery, Toronto
2003 Group Show, Cambridge Galleries, Cambridge
2003 Group Show, State Gallery, Vancouver
2002 Making Faces, Loop Gallery, Toronto
2001 Great Lakes, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
2001 Headspace, Blackwood Gallery, Mississauga
2000 Meat, Gallery 418, Montreal
1999 Meat, 107 Church St, Toronto
1998 Canadian Shield, 87 Wade Ave, Toronto
1997 Circa 1997, 371 Wallace Ave, Toronto
1997 Group Show, Blackwood Gallery, Mississauga
1997 Group Show, Meg Gallery, Toronto
1995 Strachan Project, Strachan Ave, Toronto
Paintings 2026 – View