Zara Muse British , 1970

Zara Muse (born Alexandra Johnson, British, b. 1971) is a London-based contemporary painter working exclusively with a palette knife and spatula, whose thickly textured acrylic works (exploring femininity, resilience, and emotional memory) have sold at Bonhams, Tate Ward Auctions, and are represented by Eclectic Gallery, Fitzrovia.

Born in 1971, Muse grew up in a household where creativity was a constant. A cousin of a prominent British street artist, she spent childhood summers drawing and painting, an early fluency she would carry, largely hidden, into adult life. She built a career in finance, working as a trader in the City of London, where she became an avid collector of street art, including works by Banksy. Vivid, uncompromising, and formally radical, that art scene was the first place she recognised something she wanted to make her own.

Her path to public practice was shaped by loss. In 2017, her mother Janet was diagnosed with cancer; Muse became her full-time carer, while also being a mother. When Janet passed away on 18 February 2019, the rupture was total. "It made me stronger and more determined" Muse has said. "It made me realise that life is precious, so why not try to be more of who I really am?" During the COVID-19 lockdowns that followed, she returned to the palette knife as a form of grief therapy. Encouraged by her children, she began sharing her work publicly for the first time in 2023 under the name Zara Muse.

Zara Muse works exclusively with a palette knife and spatula on acrylic on canvas and acrylic on dibond, a conscious rejection of the brush that gives her paintings their defining quality: thick, sculptural surfaces that catch light differently depending on where you stand, with a physical presence that reproductions rarely capture. The result is a body of figurative work that sits between impasto painting and portraiture, tactile and immediately recognisable. "When I paint a beautiful woman, I want the viewer to see that we are all full of amazing layers. It adds dimension and meaning to every face." Her large-format works (typically 100 x 100 cm) centre on contemporary female portraits rendered with saturated colour and physical urgency. The influence of her earlier graffiti collecting is visible throughout: bold, unapologetic, never afraid. Recurring themes include transformation, grief, memory, and the complexity of women's inner lives.

"My art is a homage to the resilience and beauty of women."

Since her debut, Muse's auction record has risen quickly. In Her Own Light (2023) sold for £33,750 at Tate Ward Auctions in September 2024. The Shape of Stillness (2024) achieved £47,500 at the same house in December. On 3 April 2025, her portrait Malala Yousafzai sold for £51,200 at Bonhams London, more than six times the low estimate and an 11% rise on her previous record. Her works are increasingly acquired as both a collecting choice and a demonstrable investment, with three successive auction records set within eighteen months. Her collectors include Grammy-winning singer Jill Scott, and her work is a permanent fixture at Kanishka, Atul Kochhar's Michelin-starred Mayfair restaurant. In 2025 she was selected as one of the artists for the bee:wild silent auction at the Cannes Film Festival, a conservation campaign co-founded by Leonardo DiCaprio, contributing a painting directly inspired by Angelina Jolie's iconic bee conservation portrait for National Geographic. That same year her work was displayed at an exclusive Astrea London event in Abu Dhabi attended by Sarah Jessica Parker, and she was selected as one of four artists for a live painting installation at Quaglino's restaurant during Frieze London 2025. Her painting Revolution was created in collaboration with sustainable jeweller Astrea London, featuring a 14.9-carat diamond. In October 2025, her Diwali Reverie collection was auctioned at Fairmont Windsor Park, hosted by actress Meera Syal and led by a former Sotheby's specialist, raising £6,037.50 for the Arora Charitable Foundation. She has been featured on ITV News and has exhibited in Dubai, with her work appearing in private collections across Europe, the Middle East, and North America, including private residences from Mayfair to Hollywood, luxury hotels, and Michelin-starred restaurant interiors.

Original paintings and limited edition prints by Zara Muse are available to buy through Eclectic Gallery, a contemporary art gallery located in Fitzrovia, London, showcasing emerging and established artists from around the world. Contact the gallery to enquire or arrange a private viewing.