Sandra Chevrier

Born in 1983 in Canada, Sandra Chevrier is an illustrator, painter, and street artist who works from her Montreal-based studio. She creates near-lifelike portraits with mixed media, including paint and collages, as well as murals.

Growing up, Chevrier was influenced to create art by the piece Detritus of Devotion by fellow Canadian, Heidi Taillefer. As Chevrier explains, when she saw the piece aged 14, it transmitted so much emotion in her, that she decided to devote herself to creating art that would evoke similar feelings amongst her own audience. She received a Bachelor’s degree in visual and media arts from L’Université du Québec à Montréal.

Chevrier produces artwork in a range of mediums, including oil and water-based paints, Chinese ink, collage, giclées, and prints. As a self-described “gaze collector”, she has admitted that she doesn’t intend to ignite debate or discussion with her work. Instead, her aim is to encourage spectators to think about the meaning behind her work, and pause for reflection.

Despite having completed solo shows around the world, including the United States, Japan, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, Chevrier has no intentions of moving from her native Montreal. She also refuses to acknowledge any label attached to her work, and avoids being pigeonholed into specific styles by experimenting with a variety of artistic techniques, from traditional fine art to urban and graffiti art.

Perhaps the most famous artwork produced by Chevrier is her “Cages” collection, which saw her reimagine the traditional superhero mask, as shown in her piece La Cage L’espoir N’est Pas Perdu. Layering comic book panels over hyper-realistic portraits of women, the art aims to portray the heroic vulnerability women face while dealing with the pressures and expectations to remain strong by society.

Another notable piece is her collaboration with indie rock band The National, created in conjunction with their appearance at Lollapalooza festival. Following the theme “We paint the music you love to hear,” Chevrier designed bespoke pieces to be shown around the Olympic Stadium’s Rondel. The collaboration also involved the Urban Nation Museum For Urban Contemporary Art in Berlin.

Chevrier has also participated in a number of group shows, as well as solo exhibitions. Her work has also been exhibited in some of the world’s most prestigious galleries, including London’s Saatchi Gallery and the Joseph Gross Gallery in New York.

Worldwide art collectors are interested in owning an original Chevrier, and her pieces have been offered up at auction multiple times. The prices have ranged from between $430 to almost $9,000, depending on the size and the medium.