PRINCETON NJ Announcement

'Boris Torres: People I Know' - New Exhibit at PDS Jan 8 - March 6

Portrait of Carol Dysinger, 2021, Acrylic on paper, 18x24 inches. Courtesy of Boris Torres, 2025.

Princeton, NJ – The Anne Reid '72 Gallery at Princeton Day School proudly presents Boris Torres: People I Know, opening on January 8, 2026, with a public reception from 3 to 5 p.m. The exhibition features 30 portraits painted from life by Boris Torres (b. 1976, Ecuador).

Exhibition Dates: January 8 – March 6, 2026 Private Viewings: Contact annereid72gallery@pds.org. Media Inquiries: Contact Director of Communications Deanna Harkel, dharkel@pds.org

About the Exhibition This exhibition brings together 30 portraits from a series of over 100 painted over the span of six years in Boris’s studio in Brooklyn, NY. This project was first initiated by a commission completed for a friend, which Boris continued by asking people to sit for him, taking inspiration from artists such as Alice Neel. Over the years, these people have included friends and acquaintances, people who Boris admires in the New York City community. In preparation for each studio session, Boris asks his sitter to wear anything they want — in his words, “Either something extravagant they want to show off, something special or meaningful, or something casual and comfortable.” Together, the sitter and artist choose a pose, and the painting process begins. Communication with the sitter happens as he paints (moving from face to hands, for instance) so that the person can shift and be comfortable. Each portrait is painted on 18-by-24-inch paper over a few hours, recording their shared moment in paint. Once the model leaves, the painting is completed.

When asked what he hopes students of all ages will take away from this exhibition, Boris replied:

I hope they learn that portraiture from life is a special art form, it has been around always, and it's a collaboration between you and the sitter. Painting from life is much dif erent than painting from a photo - things are always changing in real time, and you have to keep up and collaborate with your surroundings, such as light, movement, and shadows. It is a time to be still and get to know someone through looking and silence. [Having these pieces together] feels wonderful. It feels like a reunion/get-together of all these past experiences.

About the Artist:

Boris Torres (b. 1976, Ecuador) received his MFA in Fine Arts from Brooklyn College and his BA from Parsons School of Design. A Leslie-Lohman Museum Fellow and artist resident at the Virginia Center for the Arts, Torres has exhibited widely in museums and galleries, including The Bronx Museum of Art, Tacoma Art Museum, Leslie-Lohman Museum, and Cheim & Read. His work is held in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Ecuador. Torres’s paintings have been featured in The New York Times, Hyperallergic, and Out Magazine, as well as in films and television, including Keep the Lights On, Love Is Strange, American Horror Story, and Only Murders in the Building. He is represented by Kates-Ferri Projects, New York.