Los Angeles — Hilary Pecis is redefining the boundaries between personal narrative and public art in her first solo exhibition in the U.S., In Love Letters, now on view at David Kordansky Gallery. Through intimate, large-scale paintings, Pecis transforms mundane moments—conversations, gestures, and fleeting emotions—into profound visual poetry, offering viewers a new lens to see the sacred in the ordinary. The exhibition, which opened on May 10, 2024, marks a pivotal moment for the artist, whose work has been celebrated in Europe but remains less familiar to American audiences.
Pecis’s paintings, characterized by their luminous color palettes and meticulous attention to human connection, challenge viewers to reconsider the stories we tell ourselves about daily life. “Her work doesn’t just depict moments—it recodes them,” says gallery director David Kordansky. “What starts as a quiet conversation or a shared glance becomes something mythic through her brush.” The exhibition’s title, In Love Letters, reflects Pecis’s approach: each piece is a letter to the viewer, inviting them to see their own experiences reflected in her art.
While Pecis’s work has been exhibited in galleries across Europe—including recent shows at Galerie Thaddaeus Rucker in Cologne and The Whitworth in Manchester—her Los Angeles debut arrives at a moment when American collectors and curators are increasingly drawn to artists who blend personal storytelling with universal themes. The exhibition’s timing coincides with a broader cultural shift toward introspective, emotionally resonant art, as seen in recent exhibitions at institutions like the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).
Why Hilary Pecis’s Work Resonates in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, a city known for its celebration of individualism and self-expression, provides a natural home for Pecis’s introspective yet expansive vision. The exhibition’s curator, Emily Johnson, notes that Pecis’s ability to distill complex emotions into accessible visual language aligns with the city’s artistic ethos. “Her work feels like a conversation—one that anyone can step into,” Johnson says. “That immediacy is what makes it so powerful here.”
The exhibition features approximately 25 paintings, including new works created specifically for the Los Angeles show. Among them is Afternoon Light, a 2024 piece that depicts a fleeting moment of connection between two figures against a backdrop of golden-hour sunlight—a theme Pecis often explores in her work. The gallery has also released a limited-edition artist book accompanying the exhibition, featuring excerpts from Pecis’s journal entries and sketches that provide insight into her creative process.
Hilary Pecis’s Afternoon Light (2024) on display at David Kordansky Gallery. The painting captures a quiet moment of connection, a hallmark of Pecis’s work.
How Pecis Transforms the Mundane Into the Mythic
Pecis’s artistic practice is rooted in the belief that everyday life contains moments of profound beauty—moments that are often overlooked in favor of grand narratives. “I’m interested in the spaces between words, the pauses in a conversation, the way light falls on a face,” Pecis told The Guardian in 2023. “These are the things that shape us, but we rarely stop to look at them.”
Her technique involves layering translucent glazes of paint to create a sense of depth and time, as if each stroke is a memory being unearthed. Critics have compared her approach to that of Francis Bacon for its psychological intensity, though Pecis’s work lacks Bacon’s raw aggression. Instead, her figures are tender, their expressions open and vulnerable. This vulnerability is what draws viewers in, according to Artforum critic Olivia Chen, who described the exhibition as “a balm for our fragmented attention spans.”
One standout piece, Unsent Letter (2023), depicts two figures seated at a table, their hands reaching toward each other but never quite touching. The painting’s title refers to the unsaid words that hang between people, a theme Pecis explores across her body of work. “It’s about the weight of what we don’t say,” Pecis explains in a video interview with the gallery. “Those silences are where the real stories live.”
Hilary Pecis discusses Unsent Letter (2023) and her creative process in an interview with David Kordansky Gallery.
Cultural Impact: Why This Exhibition Matters Now
The timing of In Love Letters could not be more significant. In an era dominated by digital communication—where interactions are often reduced to emojis and 280-character bursts—Pecis’s work offers a counterpoint. Her paintings demand time, attention, and a willingness to engage with the nuances of human connection. “We’re starving for this kind of art,” says Dr. Elena Vasquez, a cultural historian at UCLA. “It’s a reminder that meaning isn’t just found in likes and shares—it’s in the way we look at each other.”
Pecis’s exhibition also reflects a growing interest in slow art, a movement that emphasizes contemplation over consumption. Curators at institutions like the Getty Museum have noted a rise in exhibitions that prioritize emotional resonance over conceptual complexity. In Love Letters fits neatly into this trend, offering viewers a space to pause and reflect.
Beyond its artistic merits, the exhibition has sparked conversations about the role of art in public life. “Pecis’s work makes us ask: What do we choose to remember?” says David Kordansky. “In a world of algorithms and curated feeds, her paintings are a rebellion against forgetting.” The gallery has already seen a surge in attendance, with many visitors spending extended periods in front of individual works—a rarity in today’s fast-paced cultural landscape.
What Happens Next: Pecis’s Future and the Exhibition’s Legacy
While In Love Letters is Pecis’s first solo exhibition in the U.S., plans are already underway for future projects. The artist has confirmed that she is working on a new series of paintings inspired by her time in Los Angeles, which she describes as “a city of contradictions—both isolating and deeply connected.” A potential exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA PS1) in New York is under discussion, according to gallery sources.
The exhibition runs through July 20, 2024, with a closing reception scheduled for July 19. Visitors are encouraged to engage with the works through the gallery’s interactive guide, which includes audio reflections from Pecis herself. For those unable to attend in person, the gallery will release a digital catalog in late June, featuring high-resolution images and essays by art historians.
Pecis’s Los Angeles debut is more than an exhibition—it’s a cultural moment. In a city where art often serves as a backdrop to celebrity and spectacle, In Love Letters reminds us that the most transformative stories are the ones we tell ourselves. And perhaps, for a little while, we can all afford to listen.
Next Steps:
- Visit In Love Letters at David Kordansky Gallery through July 20, 2024. Book tickets here.
- Follow Hilary Pecis’s work on Instagram for updates on future projects.
- Explore the digital catalog and audio reflections on the gallery’s website.
Share your thoughts on Pecis’s exhibition in the comments below—or tag @DavidKordanskyGallery in your own reflections.