Animals of distinction

LewAllen Galleries presents an exhibition of delightful animal portraits by renowned contemporary realist Tom Palmore, opening on Friday, September 11 and remaining on view through October 10, 2026. For more than five decades, Palmore has produced large scale animal portraits with a level of esteem, dignity, and quiet affection historically reserved by the world’s finest portrait painters for royalty or the most revered members of society. Though he does this with a masterful touch of tongue-in-cheek playfulness, he effectively inverts the traditional hierarchy of portraiture. Treating a wild creature with the formal gravity of an aristocratic sitter bestows a distinct majesty upon the subject, instantly stripping away any inclination of the viewer to diminish or trivialize the animal’s presence on the canvas. Palmore produces large scale animal portraits that combine exacting technical draftsmanship with theatrical, imaginative staging. Working meticulously in oil and acrylic, the artist renders subjects with academic precision—capturing the distinct textures of fur, feathers, and skin alongside directional studio lighting and specular reflections. Palmore’s approach elevates animal subjects to grand physical proportions, inverting traditional portraiture hierarchies by placing creatures on an imposing, eye-level scale with spectators. Rather than depicting animals in natural wild habitats, the artist sets his subjects against graphic, culturally loaded backdrops, ranging from manicured topiary hedges and pre-Columbian stone reliefs to vibrant Southwestern textiles. Each work demonstrates Palmore’s central focus on the individual personality, presence, and dignity of his subject, offering viewers an encounter rooted in careful observation and mutual recognition.