A woman with short brown hair and glasses sitting at a table with art supplies, with a mural of people in black shirts in the background.

Margaret Morrison is an acclaimed American realist and surrealist painter, born in January 1960 in Utah. She lives and works in Athens, Georgia, where she recently retired as a tenured professor and area chair of Painting and Drawing at the University of Georgia's Lamar Dodd School of Art (BFA 1981 and MFA 1986 from the University of Utah).

Her meticulously detailed oil paintings fuse sharp realism with surreal, symbolic narratives, featuring still lifes, reflective/translucent objects, childhood toys, oversized comfort foods, figurative elements, and dramatic lighting inspired by Dutch Golden Age traditions and Caravaggio's theatrical staging. She transforms the everyday into magical, introspective scenes rich with nostalgia, whimsy, psychological depth, and personal storytelling.

Exclusively represented by Woodward Gallery in New York City since 1995, her work appears in private collections worldwide and has been exhibited at major institutions such as Sotheby’s in NYC and the Georgia Museum of Art. Notable series include Child's Play, Larger than Life (a vibrant celebration following personal challenges), Paradigm Shift (exploring enlightenment stages), Objects of Desire, and Home.

Her paintings have been featured in prominent publications such as The New York Times (T Magazine), ARTnews, Smithsonian Magazine, WideWalls, Image Journal, Wall Street International Art, and others. Critics and publications have described her work as:

  • "Super real, larger-than-life paintings of food... good enough to taste!" (The Krakens profile on her still lifes and figurative series)

  • Featuring "jewel-like colors, sparkling with high intensity" in her post-2008 shift to celebratory comfort foods (Smithsonian Magazine on her sugary delights and Larger than Life)

  • Expertly lit figurative imagery that invokes "a foreshadowing element to the composition" (various profiles on her surreal and detailed approach)

Her art has also appeared in television features, critical reviews, and the U.S. Department of State's Art in Embassies program (e.g., Cat’s Eyes in Tel Aviv). Recent exhibitions like Objects of Desire were highlighted in ARTnews’ "The Defining Exhibitions of 2023," and Paradigm Shift featured in Image Journal (Spring 2024).

CV

Margaret Morrison Artist

Education

  • MFA, Drawing and Painting, University of Utah, 1988

Professional Experience

  • Professor Emerita (recently retired), Tenured Professor and Area Chair of Painting and Drawing, Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia, Athens, GA (long-term faculty role spanning decades)

Representation

  • Exclusively represented by Woodward Gallery, New York City, since 1995

Selected Solo Exhibitions

  • 2023–2024: Objects of Desire, Woodward Gallery, New York, NY

  • 2023: Paradigm Shift, Lyndon House Arts Center, Athens, GA (also featured at UGA Performing Arts Center)

  • 2020: Home, Woodward Gallery, New York, NY

  • 2018: Sweet Surrender, Woodward Gallery, New York, NY

  • 2009: Larger Than Life, Woodward Gallery, New York, NY

  • 2005: Patron Saints and Rituals, Woodward Gallery, New York, NY

  • 2003: Centricity, Woodward Gallery, New York, NY

  • 2000: Theory of Flight and Painting, Woodward Gallery, New York, NY (Additional solos at Woodward Gallery and other venues over 25+ years, including museum and university spaces like Georgia Museum of Art, Maria V. Howard Art Museum, and others)

Selected Group Exhibitions

  • Eyes on the Road: Art of the Automotive Landscape, Peterson Automotive Museum, Los Angeles, CA (with Ed Ruscha, Andy Warhol, David Hockney, and others)

  • A La Carte: A Visual Exploration of Our Relationship With Food, Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts (AEIVA), Birmingham, AL

  • Faculty and group shows at Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia

  • Numerous national and international museum exhibitions, including Georgia Museum of Art, Shelburne Museum of Art, Yellowstone Art Museum, Kimmel Center at NYU, and Rockefeller Museum and Art Center

Awards and Recognition

  • Best in Show, The Butler Institute of American Art's 86th National Midyear Exhibition

  • Featured in U.S. Department of State's Art in Embassies Program (e.g., Cat’s Eyes displayed in Ambassador’s residence, Tel Aviv, Israel, for multiple years)

Collections

  • Private collections worldwide

  • Institutional holdings including various U.S. museums and universities

Publications and Media

  • Featured in The New York Times (T Magazine), ARTnews, Smithsonian Magazine, WideWalls, Image Journal, Wall Street International Art, and others

  • Television features and critical reviews

  • Catalogues and profiles highlighting her work in realist/surrealist traditions build with clarity, act with integrity, and always stay curious.