Lily Macrae | “Virtues & Vices”

Press release

Long Story Short is proud to present Virtues & Vices, a solo exhibition by Scottish artist Lily Macrae at 52 Henry St, New York, NY. On view from March 14 through April 27, 2025, Macrae’s work captures the push and pull of human nature—the tension between indulgence and restraint, joy and regret, intimacy and distance. Her paintings feel like fragments of a story, moments caught just before something shifts, before the laughter fades or a secret is revealed.

Drawing inspiration from Baroque art, film stills, and fleeting memories, Macrae’s work exists in a space between past and present, dream and reality. Her figures appear and dissolve within layers of oil paint, almost as if they might slip away if you look too long. With a technique that involves applying and then wiping away paint, she creates a sense of movement—a fleeting touch, a lingering glance, the hazy blur of a half-remembered night. Some works radiate warmth and celebration; others hold a quiet unease, hinting at what lingers just beneath the surface.

Macrae’s approach offers a rare combination of technical mastery and emotional depth. Her paintings are not just objects of beauty but psychological landscapes, capturing both the ecstasy and unease of existence. Each brushstroke holds tension and release, creating works that demand to be seen, felt, and interpreted. Her large-scale pieces, like Melody and Now We’re Even, pull you in, immersing you in a cinematic world that feels both familiar and mysterious. More intimate works, such as A Devilish Grin and Scream, distill emotion into singular, magnetic moments. Whether it's the glow of candlelight on skin or the charged stillness before a confession, Macrae’s work makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a scene—one filled with unanswered questions and stories waiting to unfold. At the core of Macrae’s practice is a fascination with the complexities of human connection—our desires, our contradictions, the ways we hold on and let go.

Lily Macrae (b. 1994, Edinburgh, Scotland) has exhibited internationally, with recent solo exhibitions at Soho Revue in London, &Gallery in Edinburgh, and Long Story Short in Los Angeles. She has participated in group exhibitions at Marinaro Gallery in New York, The Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, and BLANK Gallery in Shanghai. Macrae received her BA Hons degree from Edinburgh College of Art and is the recipient of the Royal Scottish Academy Pandemic Award, the British Sasakawa Foundation Grant, and The Hope Scott Trust Award. She was also named to the Saltire Society’s 40 Under 40 list for her contributions to contemporary Scottish art. Virtues & Vices follows her participation in Frontiers: Painting in Scotland Now at the Royal Scottish Academy and The Contemporary British Painting Prize in London, further solidifying her reputation as one of the most exciting painters of her generation.