STATEMENT & COLLECTORS
Mary Bridgman: American Contemporary
PORTRAITS OF FASHION
In my oil portraits, I explore identity and self-expression by tracing the enduring conversation between fashion and art history. Fashion has long served as a visual marker of status, culture, and personality in portraiture—communicating not only the subject’s individuality, but also the social and political landscapes of their time. By drawing from traditional painting techniques, I situate my work within this lineage, honoring the craftsmanship of the past while engaging with the complexities of the present. With direct and indirect approaches to painting I am able to build depth, luminosity, and texture in my work, capturing both the physical and emotional layers of my subjects. As a Fashion Designer, I emerge delve into the beauty of design and fabrics.
My subjects are depicted in garments that reflect both contemporary trends and deeper cultural or familial roots. This dialogue between old and new allows me to examine how clothing continues to shape and signify identity, heritage, and aspiration. I am especially interested in how attire has historically been used to both assert and conceal aspects of race, social class, and personal history, and how these dynamics resonate in today’s world.
My work invites viewers to recognize fashion as both artistic expression and a social statement, carrying stories of resilience, pride, and transformation. By bringing the personal and the political into dialogue on canvas, I seek to honor diverse experiences of selfhood and offer a space to consider how what we wear continues to inform and challenge who we are—both privately and publicly.
COLLECTORS LIST: Partial
Ton Vernaus, The Netherlands
Stephanie Peterson, Forester, MO
Mr and Mrs Charles Willis, Palm Beach, FL & Scotland
Arthur Dunnam, Jed Johnson, NYC
William Eubanks, Palm Beach, FL
Marion De Vogel, Millbrook, NY
Oakleigh Thorne, Millbrook, NY
Karen Castles Grey, NYC
Talbot Logan, Palm Beach & NYC
Maynard Brittan, Beverly Hills, CA
Carol Moroco, Wellington, FL
Duke Buchan, Millbrook, NY & FL
Sophie Elliot, Millbrook, NY
Debbie Davenport, Topeka, Kansas
Phillip Kasofsky, Stanfordville, NY
Karen Cord, NYC
Christie Parsons, NYC
Laurie Niles, NYC
Jackie Stahl, Millbrook, NY
Olexa Celine, Wellington, FL
Miriam Eaves and Bob Thomas, England
Amy Vezzetti, New Canaan, CT
Chef Eric Adjepong, NYC, DC
Josie and Kow Atta-Mensah, NYC
Cari Swanson, Millbrook, NY
Marcia and Lou Renzetti, West Caldwell, NJ
Lisa and Nelson Zayas, Pine Plains, NY
Mary Michele Rutherford, Palm Beach, FL
Clementine Drackett, London, England & NYC
Jay Wain, NYC
Charles Robert Austin, Seattle, WA
Frances Lester, NYC
Colette Coffman, NYC
The Kohli Family, Philadelphia and Delhi, India
Charles Emmanuel, Val de Loire, France
Lisa Houlgrave, NYC
Kathryn Lambert Booker, Washington, DC
Wendy Walworth, NYC
Chris Green, Armonk, NY
Francesca DeVito, Hamptons, NY