Tomas Lasansky

Tomás Lasansky was born in Iowa City, IA, where he lives with his family. The Lasansky name is well known in the art world, both for their prolific oeuvres —  Tomás alone has created over 2000 works — and the number of artists in the family. The youngest of six children and the son of the internationally renowned printmaker Mauricio Lasansky, Tomás lived a creative childhood surrounded by a family that celebrated every facet of the arts. His creative upbringing led to years of classical fine art training in the Old World tradition, empowering Lasansky to do justice to his New World subjects. Tomás now creates his works of art in the 10,500 square foot Lasansky Gallery & Studio, a combined gallery and studio for printmaking and painting.

Our greatest leaders, artists, and thinkers are portrayed in larger-than-life portraits that invoke the complexity behind the lore…

Lasansky plays in two dimensions – painting, drawing, printmaking – but his portrait work jumps off the page. According to his son, Rory, who wrote an essay featured in the book Tomás Lasansky, Icons and Muses, when Tomás works in his studio, expect blinds drawn, doors locked — an artist sealed off from the world working all night with drypoint needles, burins, pencils, paintbrushes, and more– until he finally collapses asleep, splattered in paint, with multiple works complete.

He juxtaposes a wildly creative style with very careful method. “Our greatest leaders, artists, and thinkers,” according to Lasansky, “are portrayed in larger-than-life portraits that invoke the complexity behind the lore, often with symbolic and bold backgrounds such as the American flag. His subjects include the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Buffalo Bill, Walt Whitman, Sitting Bull, Geronimo, and more.

This award-winning artist has exhibited his works across the United States and abroad. He has been featured in dozens of solo exhibitions throughout his career, including “Icons and Muses” and “Tomás Lasansky: Reflections: Pride and Dignity of the Native American” at the Western Valley Art Museum in Surprise, AZ; “An Exhibition of 70 Works” at the Sioux City Art Museum in Sioux City, IA; “Tomás Lasansky: Prints, Drawings and Paintings” at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art in Cedar Rapids, IA. His work was also on view at the United States Embassy in Dublin, Ireland. Lasansky is the frequent recipient of awards and accolades, garnering Best in Show, Purchase Award, and The American Artist Award dozens of times over his career, and participating in more than 100 competitive and juried exhibitions.