Biography
Marianne Nowottny is a contemporary artist, painter, composer, entrepreneur, and poet living Southwest Florida. She was born in New York to parents of Eastern European and Dutch descent. She spent her childhood on the small island of Brigantine, just north of Atlantic City, and later grew up in the mysterious Pine Barrens, home of the legendary Jersey Devil. Her summers were filled with memories along the Jersey Shore, from Lucy the Elephant in Margate to Cape May Point.
She first emerged as a singular force in the 1990s New York art scene, capturing critical acclaim with her haunting debut solo album Afraid of Me and as a founding member of the goth-electro girl group Shell. Her work quickly drew the spotlight, earning her a cover feature in New York Press and glowing reviews in The New York Times, The Wire Magazine, and seminal music books by Joe Harrington, John Strausbaugh, and Jeanette Leech. With a signature sound that weaves dark avant-pop with experimental textures, Nowottny became a fixture on stages shared with groundbreaking artists like Antony and the Johnsons (now ANOHNI), Genesis P-Orridge (Throbbing Gristle), Elliott Sharp, Steven Parrino, and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Now based in Florida for over fifteen years, Marianne continues to craft her strange and beautiful sonic world with a new release arriving Summer 2025.
Marianne Nowottny's early contemporary artwork initially featured an illustrative style with a touch of German expressionism. Today, her artistic focus has expanded into two distinct areas: a prolific exploration of portrait painting and the creation of ornamental abstraction.