Frosting Basket Dress

About Will Cotton

Born in 1965 in Melrose, Massachusetts, Will Cotton studied at the New York Academy of Art and Cooper Union, New York, where he earned his BFA. Cotton is known for depicting an astonishing world, composed of an abundance of sugary sweets. Figures pose languidly in settings where landscapes are cakes and icing, seas are whipped cream and clouds are cotton candy. These appear to be utopian realms where all desired are indulged without guilt of consequence. The flawless naturalism with which cotton renders this idealized world makes it both more seductive and more remote from ordinary experience. His work is in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery and the Seattle Art Museum, as well as numerous private collections. He lives and works in New York City and is represented by Mary Boone Gallery in New York City.