Allison Lefcort (born May 14, 1975) is an American painter of “Pop Art” who has also worked with The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Studios, The Marilyn Monroe Estate, Playboy Enterprises, MTV, VH1, and The Grammy’s.
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Allison Lefcort showed early artistic talent. In 1980 at the age of 5 years old, Lefcort created a portrait of Dan Marino while at The Lowe Art Museum of University of Miami. The Daughter of a Yale Alumni and a visual artist; education and appreciation of the Arts were a priority. Lefcort describes this period in her life as very important in the development of both her personality, artistic skill.
In the Summer of 1992 Allison Lefcort was the featured artist in a “1-woman show” at the Greenwich Village Art Gallery. At the age of 17 years old, this show is credited as her 1st professional exhibition of her works. It was at this point that Lefcort’s work become a staple in the Florida art scene, regularly exhibited at the Moon & Me Art Gallery of Boca Raton.
In 1995 Lefcort exhibited for the 1st time at New York’s “International Art Expo”. Lefcort’s works were featured along side the works of such artists as Peter Max, Marc Chagall and Richard Avedon. This marked a turning point in Lefcort’s young career as she was approached to collaborate with both The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Studios. By the end of 1995 Allison Lefcort’s works were featured at the Warner Bros. Studio Store in Manhattan & Los Angeles. Also that year, Lefcort’s “Rock Icons” were exhibited at the Griffon Gallery in conjunction with the opening of the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame.
In 1996 Lefcort was chosen by the Democratic National Committee to paint a portrait of the then First Lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton. This portrait was presented to Clinton during the “When Women Vote, Women Win” Conference at Florida Atlantic University.
1997 saw Lefcort paint the 1st in of a series of paintings for National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (The Grammy’s). This commissioned portrait was of the all-time most nominated Grammy artist, with a total of 76 nominations and 26 awards, Quincy Jones. Lefcort went on to paint the recipient of the Humanitarian of the Year award for a number of years, and included such subjects as Sting, Phil Collins, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Gloria Estefan, Bonnie Raitt, David Crosby, and Stevie Wonder.
Although approached by The Walt Disney Company to interpret their characters in her “pop portrait style” in 1995, it was not until 1998 the Lefcort made her 1st appearance with Disney. In 1999 Allison was featured at an exhibition of interpretive art with Disney characters as the focus of interpretation. This also marked the release of Lefcort’s first limited edition entitled “Tinker-bell”. Lefcort attended the opening of this exhibition and was the focus of a guest artist event in Disneyland, at the Disneyland Gallery. Lefcort went on to interpret Disney characters for a number of special events including the Disneyana Conventions (1999–2001).
In 2001 Lefcort returned to the Grammy’s to paint Luciano Pavarotti. Lefcort remembers the short time spent with Pavarotti as one of warmth can compassion. Lefcort was in Rome at the time of his passing in September 2007.
By 2002 critics began to take notice of Lefcort’s flamboyant style of “bold imagery and bright colors”. Lefcort was commissioned by Playboy Enterprises to paint a portrait of Tom Petty for an upcoming article about the American singer-songwriter. This portrait was used in the December 2002 issue of Playboy, and featured (then Marilyn Manson girlfriend) Dita Von Teese on the cover.
Lefcort’s work with Playboy lead to the creation of Hugh Hefner’s official portrait, painted in 1993. This portrait was 1st used in the centerfold photo shoot for the 1993 Playmate of the Year Christina Santiago. Since then the painting has been used a number of times for both print and film shoots including such shows as The Girls Next Door, and The Apprentice. Lefcort’s works became the focus of 10th episode of season 3 entitled “Hef’s Vegas Birthday”, which originally aired May 20, 2007. Before he became the world's most recognized publisher, Hef aspired to be an artist, even took art classes at the Chicago Art Institute. His appreciation of the arts has guided him to put together one the premiere private collections of art in the United States. On Playboy.com Allison Lefcort is listed as one of his favorite artists.
Lefcort’s works were included in an exhibition and sale at Christie's New York: Wednesday, February 5, 2003. In addition to Lefcort the “House Sale” featured the works by Corrado Giaquinto, and Lorenzo Sabatini. This auction marks the first sale of Lefcort’s work by a major auction house.
Lefcort’s portrait of Hussein bin Talal, The King of Jordan was selected as part of an exhibition of works known as the “Peace Makers”. In 2004 this portrait served as the backdrop for the famous Today show interview of Queen Noor, conducted by Katie Couric.
Lefcort’s exposure in both film and print led to a series of 5 solo exhibitions in Japan from 2004 to 2007. These exhibitions included iconic Rock-n-Roll images, Hollywood Icons, and her interpretive work for The Walt Disney Company. In 2006 Lefcort was chosen to create a “pop portrait” for the release of Jerry Bruckheimer’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. This portrait featured Johnny Depp in his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow. Later that year Lefcort created a portrait of Rod Stewart at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, FL.
Lefcort’s work was recently exhibited at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA. This 4 day event feature appearance by Nicolas Cage, John Travolta, Johnny Depp, and Miley Cyrus. Style
Lefcort has come a long way since since here 1st portrait of Dan Marino in 1980. Nowadays, her portraits are easily recognizable due to the monochromatic scheme of black/white/grey for the foreground, and bright bold colors of the background. Lefcort exclusively uses acrylic paints on paper, wood, or canvas to create her pop art portraits. Lefcort’s design and drafting of the portrait often takes longer than the actual physical painting of the work. On Lefcort’s website she states “ That boldness and simplicity are the keys to unlocking the imagery.”
Although primarily known for her “pop portraits”, Lefcort is also recognized for her “Love Alli” series, featuring a collection of hearts created in Oil pastels. These hearts, originally produced as a gift for her mother have been reproduced in a number of limited editions including “Seasons of Love”, “Love Always” & “Let Me Count the Ways”.
In her own words, Lefcort explains her ‘inspiration of celebrity.’ ”A bit of a star-gazer,”..."my art has been greatly influenced by the boldness of Andy Warhol and simplicity of Keith Haring. That boldness and simplicity are the keys to unlocking the imagery. The vibrant colors of the background set the tone, as the shapes and shadows bring the portrayal to life."