Elizabeth Joy Peyton was born in 1965 in Danbury, Connecticut, and studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York. She gained early recognition in the 1990s for her portraits of musicians and artists, which brought a renewed focus on figurative painting and portraiture.

Peyton's work primarily consists of oil paintings, drawings, and prints that capture her subjects with a sense of closeness and immediacy. Her portraits often feature figures from her personal life as well as iconic cultural figures, exploring themes of intimacy, celebrity, and memory.

In 2026, Peyton was a guest artist at the Musée du Louvre, creating portraits during a two-year residency, and her portrait of former National Portrait Gallery director Nicholas Cullinan was unveiled and placed on permanent display in London. She continues to exhibit internationally and is represented by major galleries.