Nicola Tyson was born in 1960 in London, United Kingdom. She attended Chelsea School of Art, St. Martins School of Art and Central St. Martins College of Art and Design in London and currently lives and works in upstate New York.
Primarily known as a painter, Tyson has also worked with photography, film, performance and the written word. In 2011 she published in limited edition, in conjunction with Petzel Gallery, New York and Sadie Coles HQ, London, with design by Peter Miles, a collection of satirical letters to famous artists titled "Dead Letters Men". Her unique archive of color photos documenting the London club scene of the late 1970's -"Bowie Nights at Billy's Club" -was the subject of shows, both in New York and London, in 2012 and 2013.
Tyson's work is included in major collections such as Museum of Modern Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Whitney Museum of Art, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Phila- delphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; The Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Washing- ton D.C; and Tate Modern, London. She is represented by Petzel Gallery in New York and Sadie Coles HQ in London.