Jane Maxwell: "In Your Face"

"In Your Face" Solo Exhibition Confronts Aging Acceptance vs. Perfection

Jane Maxwell's Compelling Series of Mixed Media Works
Debuts at Lanoue Gallery in October

BOSTON, MA, July 1, 2025 – Acceptance vs. Perfection? Pressure vs. Empowerment? Nationally renowned, mixed media artist Jane Maxwell explores these questions in her solo exhibition, “In Your Face.” Focusing on the pervasive, societal pressure women feel to look younger, her show features a series of 15 provocative paintings and sculptures created from found materials and objects. “In Your Face" marks Maxwell's 25th solo exhibition and opens October 3 at Boston’s Lanoue Gallery.

"I look in the mirror at my crow's feet and sagging jowls and feel conflicted. I vacillate between rejecting the pervasive ‘anti-aging’ messaging and products; and succumbing to an occasional syringe being plunged into my forehead," said Maxwell. "’In Your Face,' confronts this dynamic tension that I, and so many women, feel about beauty and aging."

Maxwell’s newest series continues her decades-long visual exploration of cultural issues related to the 21st century feminine ideal. The artwork is thickly layered with discarded boxes, vials and instruction packets from anti-aging products, along with advertising billboard papers peeled off walls in New York, Los Angeles and Paris. These original, upcycled materials, collected over two years, have been stitched, sanded, glued and stapled to wood panels. Imagery features female silhouettes aggressively kicking or shoving a hand toward the viewer in defiance, while others are seated in power poses looking comfortable in their skin.

Maxwell’s collection also features thought provoking sculptural pieces including a dress made from syringe packaging and ribbon bows called “Red Carpet” and a Botox vial- and crystal-encrusted chandelier floor lamp titled, “Shiny Objects.”

"This exhibition shines a light on the complexities of beauty standards that so many women - myself included - are faced with," said Lanoue Gallery Owner Susan Lanoue. "The artworks are about empowering individuals to make their own choices regarding their bodies and faces, in spite of the onslaught of societal pressures."

“In Your Face” will be on exhibit October 3 - November 1, 2025 at Lanoue Gallery in Boston and is free to the public. The opening reception with the artist is October 3 from 5-8 pm. For more information about the exhibit contact Lanoue Gallery: 617-262-4400 or info@Lanouegallery.com.

ABOUT JANE MAXWELL
Jane Maxwell is a mixed-media artist from Boston, Massachusetts. For 25 years, Maxwell's work has commented on the societal pressure women feel to strive for perfection. She explores the conflict of both resisting media messaging, yet caving to beauty, diet and anti-aging trends. She is interested in the duality of how women present to the outside world vs. their messier internal lives. Maxwell tackles this duality with works that often feature idealized, trim silhouettes but have been stripped of perfection through deconstructed faces, clothing and backgrounds.

Maxwell's work is largely material driven, often incorporating papers and objects from a lifetime of collecting ephemera. Entire series are often inspired by random run-ins with compelling found papers and objects. Her art is exhibited in galleries across the nation and acquired by collectors globally.