Biography
Josee Lippens is a French-Canadian mixed media artist whose work weaves together antique Japanese textiles, contemporary fabrics, photographs, and hand-painted papers into richly layered compositions held together by expressive stitching. Born in Montreal, she received her BFA from L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Montreal and has been exhibiting in solo and group shows throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico since the 1970s.
Lippens' practice is rooted in textile arts, but her work transcends the boundaries of any single medium. She combines materials with a collage sensibility, building up surfaces where thread becomes line, fabric becomes field, and paper becomes ground. The stitching that binds these elements serves not merely as construction but as a primary expressive gesture, its rhythms and tensions giving each piece a tactile energy that rewards close looking. Her palette tends toward subtle, atmospheric combinations punctuated by moments of vivid color.
Her connection to Japanese aesthetics runs deep. She incorporates antique Japanese fabrics into her compositions, creating dialogues between Eastern and Western textile traditions that feel organic rather than forced. This sensibility made her a natural fit for Ronin Gallery in New York City, which represents her work alongside Japanese and East Asian contemporary artists.
Lippens lives and works in New York City, where she continues to develop her distinctive approach to mixed media art. Her work has been shown in numerous exhibitions and is held in private collections across North America.
Key Facts
- Nationality
- 🇨🇦Canada
- Movement
- Contemporary Mokuhanga
- Subjects
- Daily Life
- Works Indexed
- 3
Frequently Asked Questions
Josee Lippens is a French-Canadian mixed media artist whose work weaves together antique Japanese textiles, contemporary fabrics, photographs, and hand-painted papers into richly layered compositions held together by expressive stitching. Born in Montreal, she received her BFA from L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Montreal and has been exhibiting in solo and group shows throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico since the 1970s.
Josee Lippens's work was shaped by the Contemporary Mokuhanga tradition in Japanese woodblock printmaking. Contemporary Mokuhanga: Contemporary mokuhanga (literally "wood-block print") encompasses artists working from approximately 1970 to the present who continue or reinvent traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques.
Josee Lippens's prints frequently feature daily life.
Josee Lippens is a gallery-represented printmaker whose work has been shown at established galleries specializing in contemporary Japanese prints. Gallery representation provides a consistent market. Prices range from $150 for smaller works to $3,000 for major compositions. Most prints sell in the $300–$1000 range. Gallery representation provides curated exposure and supports steady demand.