At first glance, Danielle Fretwell’s paintings look like lavish feasts.
Fish, berries, flowers, silverware, and antique linens are rendered in rich detail, recalling the still lifes of the Dutch Golden Age. Some are alluring arrangements of objects and delicacies, while others depict banquet scenes partially obscured by swaths of abstraction, creating a push and pull between what’s revealed and what’s hidden. “I have an interest in truth and what it takes for someone to trust something or someone,” the New Hampshire–based artist told us.
Second Nature, 2026
Danielle Fretwell
Alice Amati
Set Piece, 2026
Danielle Fretwell
Alice Amati
In her “split still lifes,” Fretwell meticulously stages and photographs her arrangements before rendering them in oil paint on large canvases. She then adds a layer of thinned paint, pressing sheets and foam into the wet surface to create an abstract veil of color. “I try to create spaces that are a bit difficult for the viewer to enter, hoping that sparks a sense of discomfort,” she explained. Her compositions suggest a sumptuous meal about to begin, one the viewer will never fully witness.
Fretwell finds the tableware, candlesticks, and linens in her paintings at antique shops. “I think that I’m really drawn to objects that have a tension between attraction and repulsion,” she told us. “I love the cycle and circulation of objects and how objects long outlive the people who once owned them.”
Dissonance, 2026
Danielle Fretwell
Alice Amati
Fretwell earned her MFA from Boston University in 2021, and the years since have brought a steady run of firsts. She is represented by Alice Amati in London, where she had her first solo exhibition, “Shallow Invitations,” in 2024, followed by a solo booth at NADA New York in 2025 and a second solo show with the gallery, “Tablescapes,” that fall. This summer, she made her New York solo debut with “Terms of Consumption” at Olney Gleason, and Alice Amati recently presented her work at Artissima in Turin.
We caught up with Fretwell in New Hampshire, joining her on a hunt for antique candlesticks before heading back to her home studio, where she showed us how she builds her compositions and paints them. Watch the video above and explore The Artsy Vanguard 2027.
Scintillated Conclusion, 2026
Danielle Fretwell
Olney Gleason
Video credits:
- Executive producer: Casey Lesser
- Creative director: Molly Gottschalk
- Director/DP: Jesse Burke
- Editor: Jack Kuczala
- Designer: Douglas Escalante
About The Artsy Vanguard
Now in its ninth year, The Artsy Vanguard is our annual celebration of 10 of the most promising artists working today. Spanning painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, and more, the 2027 cohort brings together a new generation of artists making work that feels fresh, urgent, and distinctly their own. Through an original 10-part video series, we visit each artist in their studio and city, offering an intimate look at their creative processes, inspirations, and what it means to be an emerging artist today. Together, these are the talents shaping what’s next in contemporary art.
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