Frances Goodman was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1975. Goodman obtained a Masters Degree in Fine Arts from Goldsmiths College at the University of London in 2000, and holds a Laureateship from the Hoger Instituut voor Schone Kunsten (HISK) in Antwerp, Belgium. She was a recipient of the Cecily Brown Fellowship for Outstanding Woman Artists in 2014 and took part in The Fountainhead Residency Programme in Miami, USA, in 2015. Frances Goodman presented her debut solo exhibition, "Intimate/Inanimate Moments" in 2003 at The Process Room, Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin.
In 2019 Goodman’s works were included as part of the group exhibition, "I am… Contemporary Women Artists of Africa" at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC, USA as well as "Material Insanity" at the Museum of African Contemporary Art Al Maaden (MACAAL) in Marrakech, Morocco. Earlier this year she presented a solo exhibition with SMAC Gallery at Miart in Milan, Italy, and a group presentation at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair in Cape Town, South Africa. Her work has also been included in Richard Taittinger Gallery’s presentation at the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in New York, USA; the group exhibition, "Pop Stars! Popular Culture and Contemporary Art" at 21c in Oklahoma City, USA, and the Growbox Project which culminated with an exhibition at Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, South Africa.
Selected solo exhibitions include: "offstage" at SMAC Gallery in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2018; "Spit/Swallow", at Galleri SPECTA, in Copenhagen, Denmark, both in 2018; "Beneath Her" at Richard Taittinger in New York City, USA in 2017; "Degreened" at SMAC Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa; "Rapaciously Yours", Richard Taittinger Gallery in New York, USA, both in 2016; "Let Your Hair Down", curated by Jennie Lamensdorf as part of the (TEI) Art-in-Buildings Programme in New York, USA; "Lick It, Walgreens Art Windows", Art Center South Florida, in Miami, USA, all in 2015, and "The Sweetest Ride" at TM Projects, in Geneva, Switzerland in 2014.
Goodman’s work has formed part of a number of group exhibitions in both South Africa and abroad. Most recently: "Delicate Industry" at Richard Taittinger in New York City, USA in 2019; "The Red Hour", curated by Simon Njami at Dak’Art: African Contemporary Art Biennale in Dakar, Senegal; "The Future is Female" at 21C Museum Hotel Cincinnati in Cincinnati, USA; "I SEE YOU" at the SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, USA, all in 2018; "Le jour qui vient", curated by Marie-Ann Yemsi, at the Galerie des Lafayette in Paris, France; "All Things Being Equal", at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, (MOCAA) in Cape Town, South Africa, both in 2017; "Herselves", at Blue Project Foundation, in Barcelona, Spain, both in 2016; "The Divine Comedy: Heaven", Purgatory, and "Hell Revisited" by Contemporary African Artists, a travelling exhibition curated by Simon Njami, at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, USA in 2015, SCAD Art Gallery, Savannah, Georgia USA and Museum für Modern Kunst (MMK), Frankfurt, Germany, all in 2014; "The ‘F’ Word: Feminism in Art", at The Untitled Space, in New York, USA; "Money Makes the World Go Round", Galleri SPECTA, Copenhagen, Denmark in 2015. She also featured in "States of Mind", at Maison Particulière, Brussels, Belgium in 2014; and "Not Human, Nor Stone" at the Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town in 2011.
In 2017-2018, SMAC included Goodman’s work in various art fair presentations, including The Armory Show in New York City, USA; artmonte-carlo in Monte Carlo, Monaco; the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, and a solo presentation at Dallas Art Fair in 2018.
Frances Goodman’s work forms part of numerous significant public and private collections, including the PérezArt Museum, Miami, USA; the National Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington DC, USA; Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA), in Cape Town, South Africa; Foundation Sindika Dokolo, in Luanda, Angola; and the Matthais & Gervanne Leridon Collection, in Paris, France. Goodman’s work was recently acquired by Fondazione Fiera Milano in Milan, Italy and the Missoni Collection in Milan, Italy.
Goodman’s work is currently included in Matereality, a group exhibition at Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa and was recently included in SMAC Gallery’s group presentation at the 2020 Investec Cape Town Art Fair in Cape town, South Africa.
