Alice Tippit: Rose Obsolete

A catalog of new and selected works by Chicago-based artist Alice Tippit.

Alice Tippit: Rose Obsolete is the first monographic catalog dedicated to the enigmatic and poetic work of Chicago-based artist Alice Tippit (b. 1975). Published on the occasion of a 2026 exhibition at DePaul Art Museum in Chicago, this volume brings together a selection of works spanning the last ten years, offering a compelling glimpse into Tippit’s evolving paintings and works on paper. 

This book also includes new essays by curator Ionit Behar and writers Johanna Fateman and Mary Simpson, who each offer distinct insights into Tippit’s practice. Together, they consider questions central to Tippit’s practice: What is the difference between looking and seeing? How do forms signify, and where does meaning reside? Through refined forms and spare compositions, her work resists straightforward interpretation, instead relying on the power of metaphor, ambiguity, and allusion to generate meaning. In Tippit’s world, forms float untethered from narrative certainty, simultaneously seductive and elusive.