The Fifth Avenue Portrait Collection

Actor Gus Birney painted by Alexa Meade. Photo by Ruby June.jpeg

The Fifth Avenue
Portrait Collection

529 5th Avenue, New York, NY 10017

The Fifth Avenue Portrait Collection is a massive public art exhibit by Alexa Meade, spanning 180 feet along Fifth Avenue and 44th Street in New York City.

The art is on display at the former home of the Wonderland Dreams immersive exhibition by Alexa Meade. Every inch of the 26,000 square foot space was painted from floor to ceiling, using Alexa’s signature style of art which lets you step inside of a painting. Over 100,000 people came to see the exhibition during its year-long run.

Although Wonderland Dreams is now closed, photos of the live models Alexa painted inside the exhibit are being showcased on the outside of the building, free for everyone to enjoy.

NYC walking group tours have made the exhibition a stop on their route, as a showcase for the vibrancy of arts and culture in the city.

The Fifth Avenue Portrait Collection is located at 529 5th Avenue, steps away from Grand Central Station, Bryant Park, and The Museum of Modern Art.

Fifth Avenue Portraits Windows by Alexa Meade - 3.jpeg

Fifth Avenue Portraits Windows by Alexa Meade at Night - 2.jpeg

Photo by Ruby June. Photo by Mike Monaghan.

Magician Zach King painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Ruby June

Singer Walter Russell III painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Mike Monaghan

Model Shelli Lether painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Ruby June

Model Ruby June painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Ruby June

Model Ruby June painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Mike Monaghan

Host Richie Ridge painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Mike Monaghan

Actor Nadia Brown painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Mike Monaghan

Journalist Paul Wontorek painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Mike Monaghan

Dancer Melissa Becraft painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Chris Stewart

Producer Eva Price painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Ruby June

Actor Matthew Sims Jr. painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Mike Monaghan

Model Keith Hurd painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Mike Monaghan

Actor Julia Lester painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Ruby June

Actor Jonalyn Lester painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Mike Monaghan

Composer Helen Park painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Ruby June

Costume Designer Emilio Sosa painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Mike Monaghan

Writer Amber Ruffin painted by Alexa Meade, photo by Mike Monaghan

About the Collection

All 22 works of art in The Fifth Avenue Portrait Collection are by Alexa Meade, who paints directly on the faces and clothes of live models, creating the illusion that real humans are two-dimensional paintings on canvas. If you look closely in the eyes or the texture in the hair, there are subtle hints of the dimensionality of her living portrait subjects.

The models Alexa Meade painted include such high-profile New Yorkers as Tony Award-winning actor Brian Stokes Mitchell, Grammy Award-winning singer Walter Russell III, and Emmy Award-winning journalist Paul Wontorek.

Additional Broadway actors painted in the collection include Nadia Brown, Julia Lester, Gus Birney, Jonalyn Saxer, and Matthew Sims Jr.

Alexa Meade painted numerous creative powerhouses for the series, including magician Zach King, writer Amber Ruffin, costume designer Emilio Sosa, producer Eva Price, dancer Melissa Becraft, and composer Helen Park. The models also include Ruby June, Richie Ridge, Keith Hurd, Adrian Richardson, and Shelli Lether.

The photography in the collection was primarily captured by either Ruby June or Mike Monaghan, with layout design by Dirty Bandits.

The collection was on view from September 11 through October 2, 2023.