MUNTHE ART MONDAY: REBECCA SAYLOR SACK

The American-born artist Rebecca Saylor Sack collaborates with MUNTHE for the Fall/Winter 2026 collection. We spoke with her about being a woman in the arts and her way of creating, exploring how intuition, material, and memory shape her work.


Please introduce yourself and tell us about what you do.
My name is Rebecca Sack. I am an artist and educator based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My practice is rooted in drawing and painting, in addition to larger crossdisciplinarity collaborative projects working with scientists and poets. My work draws from the history of landscape and still-life painting, as well as my interests in natural history, literature, science fiction, film, and open-world video games. I work primarily in oil on panel. I love paint and the liquidity of the material - how it moves, pools, and resists control - and its ability to carry the messy, fleeting presence of the body and the traces of touch. In recent years, my studio practice has become deeply intertwined with the act of gardening and I see both painting and gardening as meaningful, political acts that call for care of the body and the environment

Could you explain more about how being a woman has affected your career?

Being a woman has shaped my career in both positive and challenging ways. When I was in art school, there were very few women teaching painting, and even fewer role models to look up to—it felt like there were barely any books on women artists in the library.
I remember one of my only female professors sharing that she had once been told women shouldn’t make large-scale abstract work. As a young artist, I often felt conflicted about how my own paintings were described, especially when they were called “masculine.” Later, when I began working with natural forms like flowers, I felt a different kind of pressure, as if I had to justify that choice too. For a time, I even hid what I was making, unsure how it would be received—or how I felt about it myself.

Now, I fully embrace these tensions in my work. I lean into the gendered history of still-life painting, especially flower painting, and the idea of the “Sunday Painter.” As a teacher and mentor, I carry these experiences into the classroom by prioritizing women artists and those who have been historically marginalized. Reframing art history in this way has become central to my practice—not only as an individual faculty member, but also in leadership roles that shape broader conversations within the university.

REBECCA'S ART SEEN IN OUR FALL WINTER 2026-COLLECTION 

What would you like people to notice in your artwork?

I want viewers to slow down in front of my work. So much of today is about being bombarded with information and images where everything fast and disposable. I consciously use paint and color as a means of invoking sensations that seduce and unsettle by turns. Layers of paint are built up and carved away, so broad strokes contrast with impossibly delicate passages. I want the work to demand an expansive and telescopic viewing experience.

What has been the most challenging aspect of being a woman in the arts?

I think it is impossible to separate this question from being a woman in the United States right now. The things I took for granted—bodily autonomy, a move towards equality, basic ethical values—now are unstable or under threat. Working as an artist in this context means living with that fragility, learning to navigate uncertainty, and coming up with ways to move forward.

REBECCA'S ART SEEN IN OUR FALL WINTER 2026-COLLECTION 

Can you name some other female (artist) that inspires you and explain why they do so?

I think Jennifer Packer is one of the most incredible, empathetic painters working today. I’ve also been turning toward authors like Rebecca Solnit, whose sharp poetic insight has been helpful parsing the challenges and uncertainties of this moment.

What does it feel like to see your art translated into clothing?

It’s incredibly exciting. Whenever I’m painting, I’m always thinking about the sensuality of material, surface, and color - and how this connects to the body. It’s thrilling to see how this translates in MUNTHE’s designs. The collection is truly beautiful.

Find out more about Rebecca Saylor Sack:

Instagram: @rebeccasaylorsackstudio

Website: www.rebeccasaylorsack.com