From ‘House’ to the Canvas: Lisa Edelstein Debuts Major Art Exhibition at Skirball

Lisa Edelstein is trading the hospital halls of House for the gallery walls of the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. The actress-turned-painter is launching a major new exhibition alongside her husband and fellow artist Robert Russell, offering visitors a deeply personal window into memory, family, and Jewish identity.

A Palace in Time, which opened May 20 and runs through September 6, 2026, showcases Edelstein’s latest collection of paintings that explore how we preserve personal and cultural memories through rituals, treasured objects, and family traditions. The title draws inspiration from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s description of the Sabbath as “a palace in time”—a concept that anchors the show’s meditation on what shapes our identities.

Edelstein has increasingly made a name for herself beyond acting over the years, channeling creative energy into painting, writing, and filmmaking. Her paintings draw heavily from vintage family photographs, transforming old snapshots into vivid, emotionally charged works. Many depict Jewish family life in suburban New Jersey during the 1970s, capturing family gatherings, domestic spaces, and intimate moments of connection.

“The work is really about storytelling and memory,” Edelstein’s artistic practice centers on themes of diaspora, belonging, and heritage—subjects that invite viewers to reflect on their own family histories. Her paintings have been displayed in galleries across Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Palm Beach, and are part of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s permanent collection.

Russell contributes his own perspective to the exhibition through still-life paintings of Jewish ritual objects—Kiddush cups, memorial candles—rendered in soft focus to emphasize memory, loss, and continuity. Together, the couple creates a dialogue between personal recollection and cultural tradition.

As Edelstein continues balancing her acting career with her growing reputation as a visual artist, A Palace in Time represents one of her most ambitious artistic ventures yet—a distinctly personal perspective with universal resonance.