Janet Fish

American, 1938-Present

Janet Fish is an American artist recognized for her richly detailed still life paintings that explore the interplay of light, color, and surface. Born in 1938 into a family of artists, Fish was surrounded by creativity from an early age. She spent part of her childhood in Bermuda, an environment that would later inform her detailed view of composition. 

Fish studied at the Art Students League of New York and later at the Yale School of Art and Architecture, where she was one of the few women in her cohort. At Yale, she studied under Alex Katz, a prominent figure in American painting whose work, like hers, has also appeared at auction through Doyle. 

Her practice is grounded in realism but pushes beyond traditional still life through compositions that often include glassware, fruits, textiles, and reflections. These works are celebrated for their technical precision and their ability to capture shifting light in complex arrangements—marking Fish as a key figure in the evolution of contemporary realism. 

Over her decades-long career, Fish has exhibited widely and her work is included in major museum collections across the United States. She continues to influence generations of painters through both her practice and teaching.