Jane Irish American, b. b. 1955

Jane Irish is a Philadelphia-based painter whose work explores the intersection of beauty and conflict, ornamentation and protest. Her richly layered compositions—often created using egg tempera, distemper, and oil on linen—depict opulent interiors infused with inscriptions of colonialism, antiwar resistance, and poetry by Vietnam War veterans. Drawing from on-site painting excursions to historic locations across Vietnam, France, and Italy, Irish interweaves baroque architecture with motifs of war and remembrance. In 2005, she curated Operation Rapid American Withdrawal, a major exhibition responding to the Iraq War featuring over 80 artists. Alongside her paintings, Irish produces ceramic vessels that interrogate the construction of historical meaning through traditional decorative forms. Through immersive, site-responsive work, she reimagines history painting as a tool for future peace and remembrance.