Luba Lukova

Luba Lukova is an American visual artist, known for her thought-provoking images and expressive poster designs. Her work has won international acclaim and is represented in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Denver Art Museum; Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris; Hong Kong Heritage Museum; Centre de la Gravure et de l'Image imprimée, La Louvière, Belgium; the Library of Congress; and the World Bank, Washington, D.C.

Biography
Internationally renowned, New York-based Luba Lukova creates captivating images that have been exhibited worldwide. She was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria and came to the United States in 1991 by invitation of the Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition in Fort Collins. Shortly thereafter, she was hired by the New York Times Book Review and established her studio in New York City.

Whether by using an economy of line, color and text to pinpoint essential themes of humanity or to succinctly visualize social commentary, Lukova's art is undeniably powerful and thought-provoking. Her work has won many awards including Grand Prix Savignac at the International Poster Salon in Paris; the Gold Pencil from The One Club in New York; Honor Laureate at the International Poster Exhibition in Fort Collins, Colorado; and Reisman Foundation Award. She holds an honorary doctoral degree from the Art Institute of Boston.

Work
Lukova uses visual metaphors and highly focused concepts to create images that take "only seconds to grasp meaning." Her striking art grabs the viewer with its saturated colors, bold contrasts, dynamic shapes and distilled compositions. And, within her direct, elegantly streamlined images, Lukova has embedded the most essential element of all – a powerful message that gets people thinking. With all her pieces, there are puns, double entendre, and a sense of whimsy that strengthen Lukova's message and allow the viewer to not be weighed down by the subject matter, while not shying away from the hard truths she is often highlighting.

Lukova frequently comments on social issues including war and peace, income inequality, censorship, corruption. These themes are prominent in her widely exhibited Designing Justice series, as well as works for Nobel Prize-winning humanitarian organizations, theater productions, universities, and book publishers.

Selected solo exhibitions

 * Luba Lukova: Designing Justice, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, A Smithsonian Affiliate in Cincinnati, Ohio, 2021–2022
 * Luba Lukova: Designing Justice, Jewish Museum Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 2020–2021
 * Luba Lukova: Designing Justice, Museum of Design Atlanta, Georgia, 2017
 * Graphic Guts: The Art of Luba Lukova, Glassel Gallery, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 2015
 * Graphic Guts, Gold Coast Arts Center, Great Neck, New York, 2015
 * I Have a Dream, UAB Visual Arts Gallery, Birmingham, Alabama, 2012
 * Social Justice and Other Works, Fairbanks Gallery, Portland, Oregon, 2009
 * Umbrellas, Social Justice & More, La Galleria at LaMaMa, New York, 2009
 * Umbrellas, Social Justice & More: Two Exhibitions by Luba Lukova, The Art Institute of Boston, Massachusetts, 2008
 * The Printed Woman, an installation with prints by Luba Lukova, La Galleria at LaMaMa, New York, 2001