Artist Profile: Sue Coe
Published January 1, 2017 by Nicole Webb
Sue Coe
b. 1951
I make art for people on the front lines. That’s my family: a community of activists who are not artists, but who want to use art as a weapon…. Some of my work is direct propaganda; some of it is visual journalism. – Sue Coe
Sue Coe is an English artist and illustrator who works in drawing, printmaking, and illustration, including books, magazines, and comic books. She began her career as an illustrator for publications such as The New York Times and Time Magazine.
Since the 1970s, Coe has worked at the intersection of art and social activism. Her work often focuses on political and social issues, bringing attention to causes that may be overlooked by the media. Animal rights are a recurring theme in her work, along with the rights of marginalized people and critiques of capitalism.
Coe’s work often focuses on those who have been victimized or oppressed. She is unafraid to depict the harsh realities faced by both animals and people who experience oppression from social and political forces beyond their control.
Learning Resources
Sue Coe, Lost Whale Swims Up The Thames, woodcut, 2006, 2006.0177.1.
Sue Coe, All the Darkness in the World Cannot Extinguish the Light of One Candle, woodcut, 2006, 2006.0176.1.
Sue Coe, They Need a Good Lawyer, etching, 2000, 2001.141.1.