Brooklyn is home to a vibrant and diverse art scene, and its painters are a great way to experience it. From world-renowned artists to small, independent painters, there’s something for everyone in Brooklyn. And now, we’re proud to announce the winner of the Best of Brooklyn Best Painter Winner!
2024: Brooklyn Voted Kehinde Wiley Best Artist/Painter!
Kehinde Wiley
Brooklyn
kehindewiley.com
Kehinde Wiley became a household name when he painted President Barack Obama’s presidential portrait back in 2018. The unique portrait, featuring Obama sitting in a chair surrounded by technicolor vines and plants, exemplifies Wiley’s style. His detailed, colorful portraits seek to disrupt the typical characteristics of portraiture and challenge traditional notions of masculinity and physicality, especially with regard to Black and brown men. The Brooklyn-based artist doesn’t limit himself to painting – in 2019, he founded Black Rock Senegal, an artist-in-residence program that brings artists from around the world to Dakar to support new art and encourage new dialogues around Africa. Wiley’s works are displayed in exhibits around the world — from Paris to Manhattan to right here in Brooklyn, at the Brooklyn Museum.
2023: Brooklyn Voted Kehinde Wiley Best Artist/Painter!
Kehinde Wiley
Brooklyn
kehindewiley.com
L.A. native Brooklynite Kehinde Wiley is revered for his African American art and is most famous for the official portrait he painted of Barack Obama against the backdrop of a green garden for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. The former president unofficially dressed in no tie, sits pensively in his chair. The painter is widely admired for his naturalistic paintings of African Americans often with reference to Old Masters paintings. He is globally acclaimed in review and connoisseur circles for the bold portraits of young African-Americans he places in traditional poses for his contemporary paintings, the kind of poses you will see in portraits of European nobility.
2022: Brooklyn Voted Kehinde Wiley Best Artist/Painter!
Kehinde Wiley
kehindewiley.com
L.A. native Brooklynite Kehinde Wiley is revered for his African American art and is most famous for the official portrait he painted of Barack Obama against the backdrop of a green garden for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. The former president unofficially dressed in no tie, sits pensively in his chair. The painter is widely admired for his naturalistic paintings of African Americans often with reference to Old Masters paintings. He is globally acclaimed in review and connoisseur circles for the bold portraits of young African-Americans he places in traditional poses for his contemporary paintings, the kind of poses you will see in portraits of European nobility.
2021: Brooklyn Voted Daisy Martinez – Chef/Sommelier Best Artist/Painter!
Daisy Martinez – Chef/Sommelier
@chefdaisymartinez
For Chef and Sommelier Daisy Martinez, creating comes easy. A world-renowned chef, author, television star and all-around food legend, A Brooklyn native, Daisy Martinez has made a name for herself not just in the culinary world, but in the arts world as well. Intensely proud of her Puerto Rican heritage, this Brooklyn’s best-chef is very active in the Latino community and with many philanthropic endeavors. She lives at home in Brooklyn with her family of four kids.
2020: Brooklyn Voted Margaret Neill Best Artist/Painter!
Margaret Neill
913-834-8077 – www.margaretneillstudio.com
Margaret Neill’s first memory is that of holding her ear to her mother’s heart, and she has been aiming to recreate this sensation of continuous flow through her artwork ever since. Her signature technique utilizes singular strokes and large areas of color to create unique, vibrant designs of surging waves. Margaret’s abstract paintings and drawings present multilayered forms and richly worked surfaces that refer neither to narrative or image but are informed by presence in the fluidity of time. Her art has been featured in various venues including Yale University Art Gallery, Colby College Museum of Art, and the New York Public Library and has been reviewed by publications like the New York Sun, Art in America and the Brooklyn Rail. Head to her website to view her work and be visually astounded.
2019: Brooklyn Voted Pinot’s Palette Park Slope Best Artist/Painter!
Pinot’s Palette Park Slope
382 5th Ave.
(929) 337-6499 – www.pinotspalette.com
Pinot’s Palette – Park Slope wine and painting parties are fun for all occasions, from bachelorette parties to anniversaries to corporate team building events. Ask us about their children’s parties too! Pinot’s Palette welcomes all age appropriate guests to consume alcoholic beverages in responsible manner. Their studio has a wine & beer bar. They empower entrepreneurs and enrich communities with creative entertainment. Most of their customers have not painted since grade school, but their talented team of artists will guide you through the featured painting step by step. They are sure you will leave with a painting your proud of. Pinot’s also have a bar that serves beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages so that you can sip your favorite drink as you paint and listen to great music.