Peter Cain (b. 1959, New Jersey; d. 1997, New York) was an American artist recognized for his meticulously rendered paintings and drawings depicting surreal and aberrant transformations of automobiles. His work is frequently understood as synthesizing elements of Surrealism and Photorealism, combining precise technical execution with imaginative distortion. In his later paintings, Cain turned to gas stations, storefronts, and other elements of the commercial landscape, extending his interest in how familiar images could be made unfamiliar through painting.
Cain died at the age of thirty-seven from a cerebral hemorrhage. Despite the brevity of his career, he produced a total of sixty-three paintings. His work was included in the Whitney Biennials of 1993 and 1995, and has been exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others. His estate is represented by Matthew Marks Gallery.
