Steve Lyons
Steve Lyons has working studios and showcases in New York City, at the New York Art Center, and in Chatham, Massachusetts, where his studio has become a destination for art lovers from across the U.S. and Europe.
In 2012, he gained recognition in 2012 for his signature "Momento Paintings" -- small coastal studies and abstracts on scrap lumber -- when they were "discovered" by an international art critic from Europe. Much of his acclaim has resonated from his re-invention of the impasto technique, which some cultural writers call "sculpted painting." With this signature technique, Lyons separates himself from typical impasto artists by creating singular tactile images, such as waves, faces and floral designs.
He has had numerous exhibitions including Freising (Munich), and Berlin, Paris, Madrid, Sitges, La Paz, Mexico and Poznan, Poland, as well as New Haven, CT, Boston, MA, Old Greenwich, CT, and Cincinnati, OH, and is held in collections by individuals and institutions throughout the world.
In 2019 he was given his first university show in the U.S., at Iona College, New Rochelle, New York, as well as his first show in New York City at the Townley/Gallery 104 Galleries.
He has been featured in numerous publications, including HuffingtonPost, Du Jour magazine and Art of the Times as well as the award winning television show, Chronicle. He has an article scheduled to appear in the October issue of the French Magazine, “Art Magazine”, as well as several Italian publications.
In March 2015, Lyons made international news when he was the victim of an art heist totaling $100,000. His art was eventually recovered with the help of the Berlin Art Theft unit. He was the victim of a second art heist in Spain in 2019, with over $60,000 worth of art, some destined to his New York show. Investigations continue regarding this latest heist.
Lyons has received numerous awards and tributes, including:
- In 2018 and 2019, Art Tour International Magazine named him "One of the Top 15 Artists in the World to Watch" and one of the Top 60 Masters in the World.
- Also in 2019, Lyons was named number 3 in the world for Landscape Impressionism by the American Art Awards.
- In 2017, the Top 20 Galleries in the U.S. named him number 2 in the world in Abstract Expressionism for in conjunction with the American Art Awards
- In 2016, he was "One of the Top 5 Abstract Expressionist Artists in the World" by the American Art Awards
- He was also the first American to win the shared exhibition prize at the Stadtgalerie, Westerland, Germany
- In 2014, he was first American to open the Independence Day Celebrations in La Paz, Mexico, at the famed La Paz Cultural Center
- In 2014, he was the first American awarded private mentorship with Finland’s premier living artist and designer, Markku Piri.
Lyons was born and raised in Portsmouth, Ohio, located on the northern banks of the Ohio River. He began painting as a child and by age eight had won his first competition, in Canton, Ohio. He earned a B.A. at Eastern Kentucky University, and an M.A. at Louisiana State University—where he majored in journalism and minored in art and was a Walter Hitesman scholarship recipient. Before calling Chatham, MA home, he resided in New York City, New Haven, CT and Boston. You can see Steve’s work at his working studio and gallery in Chatham.