Shirley Jaffe (1923-2016) was an influential American abstract painter known for her vibrant color schemes and distinctive geometric forms and patterns. Despite the seemingly out-of-place elements in her compositions, her works display an underlying tension that keeps them cohesive and balanced. Jaffe grew up in Brighton Beach, New York, but he was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Before relocating to Paris, France, she completed her schooling at Cooper Union in New York and temporarily attended the Philips Art School in Washington, D.C. Jaffe grew close to the Abstract Expressionist movement and befriended American painters Sam Francis, Ellsworth Kelly, and Joan Mitchell while they were living in Paris. She also attended the Ford Foundation in Berlin, where she transitioned from Abstract Expressionist techniques to incorporating more graphic forms in her work. Her appreciation for Parisian architecture is reflected in the geometric shapes within her paintings, and she became a vital figure in the city's post-war art scene.

Jaffe’s work is featured in prominent collections, including The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, NY, the Musée de la Ville de Paris, and the Centre Georges-Pompidou in Paris.