Lucy Stein’s paintings draw on feminine iconography from a wide range of sources including ancient Greek mythology, medieval and ecclesiastical illuminations, as well as esoteric mysticism and folkloric imagery. These images are incorporated into expressive, emotionally and psychologically charged compositions that Stein describes as coming from a ‘cosmic symbolic feminist headspace’.

While reflecting these ancient and historic reference points, Stein also responds to her personal experiences as a mother and caregiver to represent a vision of womanhood throughout time. Connecting her former life in the west of Ireland around fifteen years ago, with more recent years spent in rural Cornwall, Stein channels the inherent energies of the natural landscape that have inspired and been worshipped over millennia. Her paintings depict figures, symbols and objects representative of traditions and values that long pre-date contemporary obsessions and oversaturated visual culture. Lunula references the golden, crescent moon-shaped ritual object representative of lifespan and universality in Celtic and Atlantean cultures, as well as the markings on human fingernails that can present otherwise hidden health diagnoses. With this symbolism Stein connects the daily, bodily world with mystical and folkloric realms.

Lucy Stein’s recent solo exhibitions include Galerie Gregor Staiger, Milan and Zurich (2011-2026); Museo Casa Rusca, Locarno (2024); Hales Gallery, London (2023); De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill On Sea (2022); Spike Island, Bristol (2021); Palette Terre, Paris (2018). Her work has been exhibited at Kunsthaus Zurich; Tate St. Ives; TULCA Festival of Visual Arts, Galway.