I’ve always been drawn to people: their stories, their contradictions, their resilience, the things they carry quietly and the moments that change them. That fascination finds its way into much of my work, particularly my portraiture.

My own way of making art is energetic, physical and intuitive. I love bold colour, expressive marks, texture and the point where a painting begins to feel alive. I work across different media — including oils, acrylics, watercolour, printmaking, sculpture and ceramics — but painting remains at the centre of my practice.

Art has also always been something I want to share.

In 2016, I founded the Lillian Gray Art School in South Africa. What began as a small teaching practice grew into a thriving school with hundreds of students, and teaching became a major part of my creative life. I still love the moment when someone stops saying, “I’m not artistic,” and starts trusting their own eye, instincts, and ideas.

After moving to Munich, I began teaching from my studio here too. My weekly classes and workshops are an extension of my own artistic practice: a place where people can learn proper skills, explore art history, experiment, make mistakes and gradually discover their own visual language.

I don’t believe students should simply learn to paint like me.

I want them to become more themselves.

When I’m not teaching, I’m usually painting, developing new work, experimenting with materials, studying art, building creative projects or finding yet another reason to talk about an artist I love.

My work has been exhibited internationally, including in London, New York and Barcelona, and is held in private and corporate collections. I’ve also worked as a live painter, speaker, guest lecturer and television guest, sharing my love of art, art history and creative practice with wider audiences.

At the heart of all of it — the paintings, the teaching, the workshops and the studio — is the same thing:

I believe making art changes the world.

Artist Biography

Lillian Gray is a South African-born contemporary artist, illustrator and art educator based in Munich, Germany.

Working across painting, drawing, printmaking, watercolour, sculpture and ceramics, Gray is best known for her bold, expressive portraiture. Her practice is characterised by energetic mark-making, layered surfaces, strong colour and an intuitive, physical approach to painting.

Human experience lies at the centre of her work. Drawing inspiration from individual stories, Gray frequently explores themes of identity, resilience, hope, vulnerability and personal transformation. Her paintings balance expressive abstraction with figurative elements, using colour, texture and gesture to create emotionally charged images.

Gray’s work has been exhibited internationally, including exhibitions and art fairs in London, New York, Barcelona and Johannesburg. Her work is held in both private and corporate collections.

Alongside her studio practice, Gray has developed an extensive career in art education. In 2016, she founded the Lillian Gray Art School in Johannesburg, South Africa, which grew into a large independent art school serving hundreds of students. She continues to contribute to curriculum development and art education while running her Munich studio, where she teaches weekly classes, workshops and creative events.

Gray is also an experienced public speaker, live painter and guest lecturer. She has appeared at public events and in media to speak about art, art history, creativity and the business of being an artist.

She currently lives and works in Munich, where her artistic practice and teaching continue to inform and strengthen one another.