Diana Cooper

Diana Cooper (born 1964) is an acclaimed American visual artist renowned for her innovative and abstract creations that seamlessly blend drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, and photography. Her artistic evolution has taken her from canvas-based works rich with doodles to expansive installations characterized by intricate, architectonic structures. Critics have often identified a balance between order and chaos in her work, drawing comparisons to renowned abstract women artists such as Eva Hesse and Yayoi Kusama. However, Cooper’s distinctive “absurdist playfulness” sets her apart in contemporary abstraction.

Raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, Diana was born to artist-educators Ian and Faith Cooper. Her initial passion for dance and choreography transformed into a commitment to visual arts during her studies in history and literature at Harvard University (BA, 1986). She further honed her craft at the New York Studio School and earned an MFA in painting from Hunter College in 1997.

Cooper’s career gained momentum in the late 1990s with her doodle-centric canvases featured in group shows at the New Museum and Knitting Factory, and solo exhibitions at Ah! Space Gallery and Postmasters Gallery in New York. Her work has been showcased in esteemed venues such as MoMA PS1, the Whitney Museum at Altria, and internationally in the Sharjah Art Museum and He Xiangning Art Museum.

A recipient of prestigious accolades including the Rome Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship, Cooper’s contributions to public art in New York City and Virginia Tech reflect her wide-reaching influence. Her works reside in major collections like the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and the British Museum.

Beyond her creative practice, Cooper imparts her expertise as an adjunct associate professor at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Her intricate creations are celebrated for extending two-dimensional aesthetics into three-dimensional realms, relying on simple shapes and limited color palettes to convey complex thoughts and emotions. Through this approach, Cooper continues to engage audiences, transforming abstract visual language into immersive experiences.

She resides in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband, renowned scholar and essayist Mark Lilla.