Contemporary Puzzle Painting by Tyler Hayes

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Tyler Hays is best known as the founder of BDDW, the New York/Philadelphia furniture and design house, but he's also … Read more Tyler Hays is best known as the founder of BDDW, the New York/Philadelphia furniture and design house, but he's also a painter and sculptor, and his "puzzle paintings" (sometimes called jigsaw paintings) are one of his most distinctive art projects.

This piece is from 2019, and titled "Sexy Boots" measures 20" wide by 26" tall, inspired by high fashion with a dominatrix sensibility. A hand-painted, one-of-a-kind puzzle painting rendered in a muted grisaille palette with milk paint and acrylic, the composition depicts the lower legs and feet of a figure in fishnet stockings and towering patent-leather knee-high boots, cropped tightly to emphasize texture and form.

The finished panel has been hand-cut into interlocking jigsaw pieces and set in a solid oak frame with rounded edges — a signature technique of Hays's puzzle-painting practice, which merges representational painting with functional, tactile object-making. See less